Combinatorially interpreting generalized Stirling numbers

DOI10.1016/J.EJC.2014.07.002zbMATH Open1301.05027arXiv1308.2666OpenAlexW2123588848MaRDI QIDQ458580FDOQ458580

Justin Hilyard, John Engbers, David Galvin

Publication date: 8 October 2014

Published in: European Journal of Combinatorics (Search for Journal in Brave)

Abstract: Let $w$ be a word in alphabet $x,D$ with $m$ $x$'s and $n$ $D$'s. Interpreting "$x$" as multiplication by $x$, and "$D$" as differentiation with respect to $x$, the identity $wf(x)=x^{m-n}su{m}_k{S}_w(k)x^k{D}^{k}f(x)$, valid for any smooth function $f(x)$, defines a sequence $(S_w(k){)}_k$, the terms of which we refer to as the {em Stirling numbers (of the second kind)} of $w$. The nomenclature comes from the fact that when $w=(xD{)}^n$, we have $$, the ordinary Stirling number of the second kind. Explicit expressions for, and identities satisfied by, the $S_w(k)$ have been obtained by numerous authors, and combinatorial interpretations have been presented. Here we provide a new combinatorial interpretation that retains the spirit of the familiar interpretation of $$ as a count of partitions. Specifically, we associate to each $w$ a quasi-threshold graph $G_w$, and we show that $S_w(k)$ enumerates partitions of the vertex set of $G_w$ into classes that do not span an edge of $G_w$. We also discuss some relatives of, and consequences of, our interpretation, including $q$-analogs and bijections between families of labelled forests and sets of restricted partitions.

Full work available at URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/1308.2666

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Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Bell and Stirling numbers (11B73) Combinatorial aspects of partitions of integers (05A17) Combinatorial identities, bijective combinatorics (05A19)

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Cited In (18)

• A simple combinatorial interpretation of certain generalized Bell and Stirling numbers
• On a Stirling-Whitney-Riordan triangle
• Normally ordered forms of powers of differential operators and their combinatorics
• Two recurrence relations for Stirling factors
• A Newton interpolation approach to generalized Stirling numbers
• Cyclic and Linear Graph Partitions and Normal Ordering
• Asymptotic normality of some graph sequences
• Total non-negativity of some combinatorial matrices
• Matchings in complete bipartite graphs and the $r$-Lah numbers
• Combinatorial interpretation of generalized Stirling numbers
• Recent developments in combinatorial aspects of normal ordering
• Expression and computation of generalized Stirling numbers
• Generalized Stirling permutations and forests: higher-order Eulerian and Ward numbers
• A unified approach to generalized Stirling numbers
• A Unified Interpretation of the Binomial Coefficients, the Stirling Numbers, and the Gaussian Coefficients
• A combinatorial interpretation of \((1/k!)\Delta ^ kt^ n\)
• Dyck-Eulerian digraphs
• On \(xD\)-generalizations of Stirling numbers and Lah numbers via graphs and rooks

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