Moments of an exponential functional of random walks to permutations with given descent sets (Q558310)

The exponential functional of simple symmetric random walks with negative drift is an infinite polynomial \(Y=1+\xi_1+\xi_1\xi_2+\xi_1\xi_2\xi_3+\ldots\) of independent identically distributed random variables. Its moments are rational functions in \(\mu_k={\mathbf E}(\xi^k)<1\) with universal coefficients: \[ {\mathbf E}(Y^p)=\frac{1}{(1-\mu_1)\cdots(1-\mu_p)}\sum_{j\in\{0,1\}^{p-1}} a_{j_1 \ldots j_{p-1}}^{(p)} \mu_1^{j_1}\cdots\mu_{p-1}^{j_{p-1}}. \] The authors prove that the coefficient \(a_{j_1\ldots j_{p-1}}^{(p)}\) is equal to the number of permutations \(\pi\in S_p\) having descent \(i\) exactly when \(j_i=1\).