Actions and identities on set partitions (Q426787)

Summary: A labeled set partition is a partition of a set of integers whose arcs are labeled by nonzero elements of an abelian group \(\mathbb{A}\). Inspired by the action of the linear characters of the unitriangular group on its supercharacters, we define a group action of \(\mathbb{A}^n\) on the set of \(\mathbb{A}\)-labeled partitions of an \((n+1)\)-set. By investigating the orbit decomposition of various families of set partitions under this action, we derive new combinatorial proofs of Coker's identity for the Narayana polynomial and its type B analogue, and establish a number of other related identities. In return, we also prove some enumerative results concerning André and Neto's supercharacter theories of type B and D.