Asymptotic enumeration of dense 0-1 matrices with equal row sums and equal column sums (Q2571271)

This paper derives the following asymptotic approximation to the number \(B(m,s;n,t)\) of \(m\times n\) matrices over \(\{0,1\}\) with row sum \(s\) and column sum \(t\) \[ B(m,s;n,t) \sim C(m,n) \frac{\binom{n}{s}^m \binom{m}{t}^n}{\binom{mn}{ms}}, \] for several new ranges, where \(C(m,n) := e^{1/2} (1-m^{-1})^{(m-1)/2} (1-n^{-1})^{(n-1)/2}\). ``Equivalently, \(B(m,s; n,t)\) is the number of semiregular bipartite graphs with \(m\) vertices of degree \(s\) and \(n\) vertices of degree \(t\).'' ``The asymptotic value of \(B(m,s;n,t)\) has been much studied but the results are incomplete.'' The method of proof uses the multidimensional saddle-point method, starting from the Cauchy integral representation \[ B(m,s;n,t) = \frac1{(2\pi i)^{m+n}} \oint\cdots\oint \frac{\prod_{1\leq j\leq m, 1\leq k\leq n} (1+x_j y_k)}{(x_1\cdots x_m)^{s+1} (y_1\cdots y_n)^{t+1}}\,dx_1\cdots dx_m dy_1\cdots dy_n. \] Means of computing \(B\) for small parameters and of estimating \(B\) for large parameters are also discussed. The authors conjecture that the above asymptotic approximation holds for all \(m, n\) satisfying \(m+n \to\infty\).