Three alternating sign matrix identities in search of bijective proofs

DOI10.1006/AAMA.2001.0735MaRDI QIDQ5956767zbMATH OpenOpenAlexWikidataFDO

Authors David M. Bressoud

Publication date 8 August 2002

Published in Advances in Applied Mathematics (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/math/0007114

zbMATH Keywords

alternating sign matrixdeterminantsix vertex modelsquare ice modeltournament

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Exact enumeration problems, generating functions (05A15) Combinatorial identities, bijective combinatorics (05A19) Combinatorial aspects of matrices (incidence, Hadamard, etc.) (05B20) Directed graphs (digraphs), tournaments (05C20) Determinants, permanents, traces, other special matrix functions (15A15) Matrix equations and identities (15A24)

Abstract: This paper highlights three known identities, each of which involves sums over alternating sign matrices. While proofs of all three are known, the only known derivations are as corollaries of difficult results. The simplicity and natural combinatorial interpretation of these identities, however, suggest that there should be direct, bijective proofs.

Review text

An alternating sign matrix is a square matrix of entries from \(\{-1,0,1\}\) with the property that in any row or column the entries sum to 1 and the non-zero entries alternate in sign. This paper discusses 3 known identities involving alternating sign matrices, usually interpreting the matrices in terms of the six vertex (square ice) model of statistical mechanics. The identities also involve a one parameter generalisation of determinants known as \(\lambda\)-determinants.NEWLINENEWLINENEWLINEThe author expresses his conviction that bijective proofs of the 3 identities could be found. This hope has rapidly been realised in the case of the second identity, which relates alternating sign matrices to the number of upsets in tournaments. Motivated by an early draft of the work being reviewed, Chapman has found a bijective proof of Bressoud's identity. Conveniently, Chapman's proof appears in the same volume; see \textit{R. Chapman} [Adv. Appl. Math. 27, No. 2-3, 318-335 (2001; Zbl 0990.05002)].

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Cites work

• Alternating sign matrices and some deformations of Weyl's denominator formulas
• Alternating sign matrices and tournaments
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• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 991882 (Why is no real title available?)
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• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 5783667 (Why is no real title available?)
• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 1380572 (Why is no real title available?)
• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 892258 (Why is no real title available?)
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Cited in

(4)

• Multiply-refined enumeration of alternating sign matrices
• Alternating sign matrices and tournaments
• Bounded Littlewood identity related to alternating sign matrices
• Bijective proofs of shifted tableau and alternating sign matrix identities

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