Refined consecutive pattern enumeration via a generalized cluster method (Q6161648)

This paper deals with the study of statistics on patterns in permutations. This area was pioneered by \textit{S. Elizalde} and \textit{M. Noy} [Adv. Appl. Math. 30, No. 1--2, 110--125 (2003; Zbl 1016.05002)], expanding upon the study of classical patterns. Consecutive patterns in permutations exhibit similarities to consecutive subwords in words, allowing for letter repetition. In the domain of words, the cluster method, initially introduced by \textit{I. P. Goulden} and \textit{D. M. Jackson} [Combinatorial enumeration. With a foreword by Gian-Carlo Rota. (1983; Zbl 0519.05001)], offers a comprehensive formula that expresses the generating function for words in terms of prescribed subword occurrences, utilizing a more computationally manageable ``cluster generating function''. Building upon this foundation, \textit{S. Elizalde} and \textit{M. Noy} [Adv. Appl. Math. 49, No. 3--5, 351--374 (2012; Zbl 1254.05007)] extended the Goulden-Jackson cluster method to permutations. This adaptation has since become a standard technique in investigating consecutive patterns. The main contribution of this paper is a novel approach to the enumeration of permutations based on the occurrence of consecutive patterns and the analysis of inverse statistics. The authors introduce an innovative adaptation of the Goulden-Jackson cluster method, a widely employed technique in the study of consecutive patterns in permutations, specifically tailored to the Malvenuto-Reutenauer algebra. Through the application of standard homomorphisms, the proposed approach encompasses both the cluster method for permutations and a \(q\)-analogue that effectively captures the inversion number statistic. Furthermore, the authors construct additional homomorphisms that enable the tracking of inverse descent statistics, such as the inverse descent number, inverse peak number, and inverse left peak number, all of which are compatible with shuffling operations. To showcase the efficacy of this approach, the authors present new formulas that precisely count permutations exhibiting the monotone consecutive pattern \(1,2, \dots, m\), while simultaneously incorporating the monitoring of these inverse statistics.