Classification of the factorial functions of Eulerian binomial and Sheffer posets

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Abstract

We give a complete classification of the factorial functions of Eulerian binomial posets. The factorial function B (n) either coincides with n!, the factorial function of the infinite Boolean algebra, or 2n - 1, the factorial function of the infinite butterfly poset. We also classify the factorial functions for Eulerian Sheffer posets. An Eulerian Sheffer poset with binomial factorial function B (n) = n ! has Sheffer factorial function D (n) identical to that of the infinite Boolean algebra, the infinite Boolean algebra with two new coatoms inserted, or the infinite cubical poset. Moreover, we are able to classify the Sheffer factorial functions of Eulerian Sheffer posets with binomial factorial function B (n) = 2n - 1 as the doubling of an upside-down tree with ranks 1 and 2 modified. When we impose the further condition that a given Eulerian binomial or Eulerian Sheffer poset is a lattice, this forces the poset to be the infinite Boolean algebra BX or the infinite cubical lattice CX< ∞. We also include several poset constructions that have the same factorial functions as the infinite cubical poset, demonstrating that classifying Eulerian Sheffer posets is a difficult problem.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)339-359
Number of pages21
JournalJournal of Combinatorial Theory. Series A
Volume114
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 2007

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
The first author was partially supported by National Science Foundation grant 0200624 and by a University of Kentucky College of Arts & Sciences Faculty Research Fellowship. The second author was partially supported by a University of Kentucky College of Arts & Sciences Research Grant. Both authors thank Gábor Hetyei for inspiring them to study Eulerian binomial posets, the Banff International Research Station where some of the ideas for this paper were developed, and the Mittag-Leffler Institute where this paper was completed. Both authors gratefully acknowledge the careful and thoughtful comments made by one of the anonymous referees.

Funding

The first author was partially supported by National Science Foundation grant 0200624 and by a University of Kentucky College of Arts & Sciences Faculty Research Fellowship. The second author was partially supported by a University of Kentucky College of Arts & Sciences Research Grant. Both authors thank G\u00E1bor Hetyei for inspiring them to study Eulerian binomial posets, the Banff International Research Station where some of the ideas for this paper were developed, and the Mittag-Leffler Institute where this paper was completed. Both authors gratefully acknowledge the careful and thoughtful comments made by one of the anonymous referees.

FundersFunder number
University of Kentucky College of Arts & Sciences Research
University of Kentucky College of Arts & Sciences
U.S. Department of Energy Chinese Academy of Sciences Guangzhou Municipal Science and Technology Project Oak Ridge National Laboratory Extreme Science and Engineering Discovery Environment National Science Foundation National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center National Natural Science Foundation of China0200624

    Keywords

    • Infinite Boolean algebra
    • Infinite butterfly poset
    • Infinite cubical poset and lattice
    • Upper binomial poset

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Theoretical Computer Science
    • Discrete Mathematics and Combinatorics
    • Computational Theory and Mathematics

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