Congruences for consecutive coefficients of Gaussian polynomials with crank statistics (Q2112576)

A partition \(\lambda\) of a positive integer \(n\) is a finite weakly decreasing sequence of positive integers \(\lambda_1\geq\lambda_2\geq\cdots\geq\lambda_r\) such that \(\sum_{i=1}^r\lambda_i=n\). In 1919, \textit{S. Ramanujan} [Collected papers of Srinivasa Ramanujan. Cambridge University Press (1927; JFM 53.0030.02)] discovered and proved the following three celebrated congruences in arithmetic progressions for the partition function \(p(n)\), namely, \begin{align*} p(5n+4) &\equiv0\pmod{5},\tag{1}\\ p(7n+5) &\equiv0\pmod{7},\tag{2}\\ p(11n+6) &\equiv0\pmod{11},\tag{3} \end{align*} Later, \textit{A. O. L. Atkin} [Proc. Lond. Math. Soc. (3) 18, 563--576 (1968; Zbl 0313.10025)] proved that \(p(n)\) satisfies many more congruences in arithmetic progressions. For example, he proved that for any \(n\geq0\), \[ p(17303n+237)\equiv0\pmod{13}.\tag{4} \] In 2000, \textit{K. Ono} [Ann. Math. (2) 151, No. 1, 293--307 (2000; Zbl 0984.11050)] made a great contribution on this topic, when he proved that (1)--(4) are individual instances of infinitely many such congruences, by proving that for any prime \(\ell\geq5\), there exists integers \(A\) and \(B\) such that \[ p(An+B)\equiv0\pmod{\ell}. \] In this paper, the authors establish infinite families of congruences in consecutive arithmetic progressions modulo any odd prime \(\ell\) for the function \(p(n,m,N)\), which denotes the number of partitions of \(n\) into at most \(m\) parts with no part larger than \(N\). They also treat the function \(p(n,m,(a,b])\), which bounds the largest part above and below, and obtain similar infinite families of congruences. For example, they prove that for any \(0\leq i\leq7\) and \(n\geq0\), \[ p(289+i,5,237)\equiv p(589+i,5,237)\equiv p(889+i,5,237)\equiv0\pmod{5}. \] For \(m\leq4\) and \(\ell=3\), the authors define a partition statistics called ``crank'' which can provide a combinatorial interpretation for the corresponding congruences. They prove this analytically for \(m=4\), and then both analytically and combinatorially for \(m=3\). The combinatorial proof relies highly on explicit dissections of convex lattice polygons.