Refined restricted involutions (Q854848)

Let \(I_n^k(\alpha)\) denote the set of involutions on \(\{1,\dots,n\}\) with \(k\) fixed points which avoid the pattern \(\alpha\), and \(I_n^k(\emptyset;\alpha)\) the set of such involutions in which \(\alpha\) occurs exactly once. The authors deal with the enumeration of these sets for all patterns of length 3. By a result of \textit{R. Simion} and \textit{F. Schmidt} [Eur. J. Comb. 6, 383-406 (1985; Zbl 0615.05002)], all the patterns \(123\), \(132\), \(213\), and \(321\) are avoided by \({n\choose\lfloor n/2\rfloor}\) involutions in \(S_n\), whereas \(231\) and \(312\) are avoided by \(2^{n-1}\) \(n\)-involutions. Using the tool of standard Young tableaux, the authors refine the enumeration according to the number of fixed points. In particular, it is shown that \[ | I_n^k(132)| =| I_n^k(213)| =| I_n^k(321)| ,\;| I_n^k(231)| =| I_n^k(312)| \text{ for all }0\leq k\leq n. \] This also refines the analogous result for \(n\)-permutations given by the last two authors and \textit{D. Zeilberger} [Ann. Comb. 6, No. 3-4, 427-444 (2002; Zbl 1017.05014)]. In the second part of the paper, the numbers \(| I_n^k(\emptyset;\alpha)| \) are determined explicitly for any \(\alpha\in S_3\).