Labeled binary trees, subarrangements of the Catalan arrangements, and Schur positivity (Q2326673)

This paper studies the multivariate generating function associated with ascents and descents of labeled plane binary trees. Here, a plane binary tree is a rooted tree in which each internal node can have a left child only, a right child only, or both. For a labeling of the nodes with positive integer labels (where repeated labels are allowed), a left ascent is an edge from a node \(w\) to a left child \(v\) such that the labels \(v^{\ell}\) and \(w^{\ell}\) associated with \(v\) and \(w\) respectively satisfy \(v^{\ell} \leq w^{\ell}\). Otherwise, the edge is called a left descent. Right ascents and right descents are defined analogously. The number of left ascents of a labeled tree \(T\) is denoted by \(\operatorname{lasc}(T)\), and one similarly defines \(\operatorname{rasc}(T)\), \(\operatorname{ldes}(T)\) and \(\operatorname{rdes}(T)\). Let \(x_1,x_2,\ldots\) be commuting indeterminates. With every labeled tree \(T\), associate a monomial \(\mathsf{x}^T\) that is the product of the variables indexed by the node labels. One defines the formal power series \(G\) by \[G = \sum_T \overline{\lambda}^{\operatorname{lasc(T)}} \lambda^{\operatorname{ldes(T)}}\overline{\rho}^{\operatorname{rasc(T)}} \rho^{\operatorname{rdes(T)}} \mathsf{x}^T,\] the sum being over all labeled trees. The first result on this power series is the following functional equation: Theorem. Let \(H(z) = \sum_{n \geq 0} h_n z^n\), where \(h_n\) denotes the \(n\)th complete homogeneous symmetric function. Then \[\frac{(1+\overline{\lambda}G)(1+\overline{\rho}G)}{(1+\lambda G)(1+\rho G)} = H((\overline{\lambda}\overline{\rho} - \lambda \rho)G + \overline{\lambda} + \overline{\rho} - \lambda - \rho).\] Thus \(G\) is a symmetric function. Next, it is shown that \(G\) is Schur positive, thereby also proving a conjecture due to the first author. In fact, an explicit representation of \(G\) is provided showing that it can be expressed as a sum of ribbon Schur functions with coefficients in the semiring \(\mathbb{N}[\overline{\lambda}\overline{\rho},\lambda \rho, \overline{\lambda} + \overline{\rho}, \lambda + \rho]\). Two different proofs for this representation are provided. Moreover, the authors consider trees whose so-called canopy is fixed. It is shown that Schur positivity still holds for the restriction of \(G\) to trees with a given canopy. Specializations of \(G\) for different values of \(\overline{\lambda}\), \(\lambda\), \(\overline{\rho}\) and \(\rho\) are connected to deformations of Coxeter arrangements.