Partition identities arising from theta function identities

DOI10.1007/S10114-007-0960-6MaRDI QIDQ943535zbMATH OpenOpenAlexFDO

Authors Nayandeep Deka Baruah, Bruce C. Berndt

Publication date 9 September 2008

Published in Acta Mathematica Sinica, English Series (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://doi.org/10.1007/s10114-007-0960-6

colored partitions modular equations partition identities partitions theta function identities

Combinatorial aspects of partitions of integers (05A17) Partitions; congruences and congruential restrictions (11P83) Basic hypergeometric functions in one variable, ({}_rphi_s) (33D15)

Review text

This paper is devoted to a study of the combinatorics of identities that generally have the form \[ f(q) + f(-q) = g(q) \] or \[ f(q) - f(-q) = qh(q), \] where \(f(q)\) is some infinite product which is essentially a modular function. The motivation is one such identity of \textit{H. M. Farkas} and \textit{I. Kra} [Contemp. Math. 251, 197--203 (2000; Zbl 1050.11086)], \[ (-q;q^2)_{\infty}(-q^7;q^{14})_{\infty} - (q;q^2)_{\infty}(q^7;q^{14})_{\infty} = 2q(-q^2;q^2)_{\infty}(-q^{14};q^{28})_{\infty}, \] which, along with its combinatorial interpretation, was popularized and generalized by \textit{S. O. Warnaar} [J. Comb. Theory, Ser. A 110, No. 1, 43--52 (2005; Zbl 1101.11046)]. Here we have used the usual basic hypergeometric notation. Of course if \(f(q)\) is a modular function then both the sum \(f(q) + f(-q)\) and the difference \(f(q) - f(-q)\) will both be so as well. The authors identify around 15 cases where this sum or difference is an infinite product and offer combinatorial interpretations in terms of colored partitions. For example, we record their Theorem 3.4: Let \(A(N)\) denote the number of partitions of \(2N+1\) into odd parts that are not multiples of \(3\), with each having two colors, say orange and blue. Let \(B(N)\) denote the number of partitions of \(2N\) into four distinct colors, with two colors, say red and green, appearing at most once and only in multiples of \(2\), one color, say pink, appearing at most once and only in multiples of \(4\), and the remaining color, say violet, appearing at most once and only in multiples of \(12\). Then for \(N \geq 2\), we have \(A(N) = 2B(N)\). This follows from the identity \[ \begin{multlined} \frac{1}{(q;q^6)_{\infty}^2(q^5;q^6)_{\infty}^2} - \frac{1}{(-q;q^6)_{\infty}^2(-q^5;q^6)_{\infty}^2} = 4q(-q^2;q^2)_{\infty}^4(-q^4;q^4)_{\infty}(-q^{12};q^{12})_{\infty}.\end{multlined} \] The authors' proofs of such identities rely heavily on work of \textit{H. Schröter} [De aequationibus modularibus, Dissertatio Inauguralis, Albertina Litterarum Universitate, Regiomonti, Königsberg, 1854].

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