Simultaneous core partitions: parameterizations and sums (Q907251)

Summary: Fix coprime \(s,t\geqslant 1\). We re-prove, without Ehrhart reciprocity, a conjecture of \textit{D. Armstrong} et al. [Eur. J. Comb. 41, 205--220 (2014; Zbl 1297.05024)] (recently verified by \textit{P. Johnson} [``Lattice points and simultaneous core partitions'', Preprint, \url{arXiv:1502.07934}]) that the finitely many simultaneous \((s,t)\)-cores have average size \(\frac{1}{24}(s-1)(t-1)(s+t+1)\), and that the subset of self-conjugate cores has the same average (first shown by \textit{W. Chen} et al. [``Average size of a self-conjugate \((s,t)\)-core'', Proc. Am. Math. Soc. 144, No. 4, 1391--1399 (2016; \url{doi:10.1090/proc/12729})]). We similarly prove a recent conjecture of Fayers that the average weighted by an inverse stabilizer -- giving the ``expected size of the \(t\)-core of a random \(s\)-core'' -- is \(\frac{1}{24}(s-1)(t^2-1)\). We also prove \textit{M. Fayers}' [J. Comb. Theory, Ser. A 118, No. 5, 1525--1539 (2011; Zbl 1232.05235)] conjecture that the analogous self-conjugate average is the same if \(t\) is odd, but instead \(\frac{1}{24}(s-1)(t^2+2)\) if \(t\) is even. In principle, our explicit methods -- or implicit variants thereof -- extend to averages of arbitrary powers.{ }The main new observation is that the stabilizers appearing in Fayers' conjectures have simple formulas in Johnson's \(z\)-coordinates parameterization of \((s,t)\)-cores.{ }We also observe that the \(z\)-coordinates extend to parameterize general \(t\)-cores. As an example application with \(t := s+d\), we count the number of \((s,s+d,s+2d)\)-cores for coprime \(s,d\geqslant 1\), verifying a recent conjecture of \textit{T. Amdeberhan} and \textit{E. Leven} [``Multi-cores, posets, and lattice paths'', Preprint, \url{arXiv:1406.2250v3}].