PARKING FUNCTIONS

Richard P. Stanley Department of Mathematics M.I.T. 2-375 Cambridge, MA 02139 rstan@math.mit.edu http://www-math.mit.edu/~rstan Transparencies available at: http://www-math.mit.edu/~rstan/trans.html

ENUMERATION OF PARKING FUNCTIONS

...
n

...

a1 2 1

a2

an

Car Ci prefers space ai. If ai is occupied, then Ci takes the next available space. We call (a ; : : : ; an) a parking function (of length n) if all cars can park.
1

n = 2 : 11 12 21 n = 3 : 111 112 121 211 113 131 311 122

212 221 123 132 213 231 312 321

Let b b bn be the increasing rearrangement of . Then is a parking function if and only bi i.

1 2

Easy: Let = (a ; : : : ; an) 2 P n .

1

the entries of a parking function is also a parking function.

Corollary. Every permutation of

Weiss, 1966). Let f (n) be the number of parking functions of length n. Then f (n) = (n + 1)n . Proof (Pollak, c. 1974). Add an additional space n + 1, and arrange the spaces in a circle. Allow n + 1 also as a preferred space.
1

Theorem (Pyke, 1959; Konheim and

...
a1 1 n+1 2 n a2 an

Now all cars can park, and there will be one empty space. is a parking function if and only if the empty space is n + 1. If = (a ; : : : ; an) leads to car Ci parking at space pi, then (a + j; : : : ; an + j ) (modulo n + 1) will lead to car Ci parking at space pi + j . Hence exactly one of the vectors (a + i; a + i; : : : an + i) (modulo n + 1) is a parking function, so (n + 1)n f (n) = n + 1 = (n + 1)n :
1 1 1 2 1

FOREST INVERSIONS
Let F be a rooted forest on the vertex set f1; : : : ; ng.
5 12 4 8 6 2 11 1 7 3 10 9

Cayley). The number of such forests is (n + 1)n .

1

THEOREM (Sylvester-Borchardt-

1 2

1 3 2

2 3 1

2 1 3

3 1 2

3 2 1

1 2 3

2 1 3

3 1 2

1 2 3

1 3 2

2 1 3

2 3 1

3 1 2

3 2 1

An inversion in F is a pair (i; j ) so that i > j and i lies on the path from j to the root.

inv(F ) = #(inversions of F )
5 12 4 8 6 2 11 1 7 3 10 9

Inversions: (5; 4); (5; 2); (12; 4); (12; 8)

(3; 1); (10; 1); (10; 6); (10; 9) inv(F ) = 8

Let

In ( q ) =

summed over all forests F with vertex set f1; : : : ; ng. E.g., I (q ) = 1 I (q ) = 2 + q I (q) = 6 + 6q + 3q + q Theorem (Mallows-Riordan 1968, GesselWang 1979) We have X In(1 + q) = qe G n;
1 2 2 3 3 ( )

inv(

F );

where G ranges over all connected graphs (without loops or multiple edges) on n +1 labelled vertices, and where e(G) denotes the number of edges of G.
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Corollary.
X

In(q)(q In(q)(q

1)n 1)n

xn n!
1

n 0 P n 0

q( ) x n q( ) x
n+1

n!

xn = log X q( ) xn n! n! n
n

Theorem (Kreweras, 1980) We have

q( )In(1=q) =
n

where (a ; : : : ; an) ranges over all parking functions of length n.

1

a1;:::;a

qa

1+

n)

10

NONCROSSING PARTITIONS
A noncrossing partition of f1; 2; : : : ; ng is a partition fB ; : : : ; Bk g of f1; : : : ; ng such that a < b < c < d; a; c 2 Bi; b; d 2 Bj ) i = j:
1

12 11 10 9 8 7
11

1 2 3 4 5 6

The number of noncrossing partitions of f1; : : : ; ng is the Catalan num-

Theorem (H. W. Becker, 1948{49)

1 2n Cn = n + 1 n :

ber

12

A maximal chain m of noncrossing partitions of f1; : : : ; n+1g is a sequence of noncrossing partitions of f1; : : : ; n + 1g such that i is obtained from i by merging two blocks into one. (Hence i has exactly n + 1 i blocks.) 1 2 3 4 5 1 25 3 4 1 25 34 125 34 12345
1 0

; ; ;:::;
1 2

13

De ne: min B = least element of B j < B : j < k 8k 2 B: Suppose i is obtained from i by merging together blocks B and B 0, with min B < min B 0. De ne (m) = maxfj 2 B : j < B 0g i (m) = ( (m); : : : ; n(m)):
1 1

For above example: 1 2 3 4 5 1 25 3 4 1 25 34 125 34 12345 we have (m) = (2; 3; 1; 2):

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the maximal chains of noncrossing partitions of f1; : : : ; n + 1g and parking functions of length n. Corollary (Kreweras, 1972) The number of maximal chains of noncrossing partitions of f1; : : : ; n + 1g is (n + 1)n :
1

Theorem. is a bijection between

Is there a connection with Voiculescu's theory of free probability?

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THE SHI ARRANGEMENT

hyperplanes in R n .

Braid arrangement Bn: the set of

xi xj = 0; 1 i < j n;

R = set of regions of Bn #R = n!
0 0 1 2

Let R be the \base region" R : x > x > > xn : Let d(R) be the number of hyperplanes in Bn separating R from R.
0

16

1 0 1 2
x1 =x3 x2 =x3

2 3
x1 =x2

B3

17

where `(w) = #f(r; s) : r < s; w(r) > w(s)g; the number of inversions of w.
X

Proposition. #fR : d(R) = j g = n j g; #fw 2 Sn : `(w) = 2

(1+ q)(1+ q + q )
2

R2R

qd R =
( )

(1+ q + + qn ):
1

18

Label R with (R ) = (1; 1; : : : ; 1) 2 Z n : If R is labelled, R0 is separated from R only by xi xj = 0 (i < j ), and R0 is unlabelled, then set (R0) = (R) + ei; where ei = ith unit coordinate vector.
0 0

R
(R)

R
(R)=(R)+ e i

xi = xj i<j
19

121 111 221

x1 =x2

211 311
x1 =x3

321
x2 =x3

B3
1

such that 1

Theorem (easy). The labels of Bn are the sequences (a ; : : : ; an) 2 Z n

ai n i + 1.
20

hyperplanes xi xj = 0; 1; 1

Shi arrangement Sn: the set of

i < j n; in R n :
x2-x 3 =1 x2-x 3 =0

x1-x 2 =0

x1-x 2 =1

x1-x 3=1
21

x1-x 3 =0

base region
0 0

R : xn + 1 > x >
1

> xn

(R ) = (1; 1; : : : ; 1) 2 Z n If R is labelled, R0 is separated from R only by xi xj = 0 (i < j ), and R0 is unlabelled, then set (R0) = (R) + ei: If R is labelled, R0 is separated from R only by xi xj = 1 (i < j ), and R0 is unlabelled, then set (R0) = (R) + ej :

22

R
(R)

R
(R)=(R)+e i

R
(R)

R
(R)=(R)+ej

xi = xj i<j

x i = x j +1 i<j

23

x2-x 3 =1 312 212 213 211 111 112 123 122 132 x1-x 3=1 121 131 311 321

x2-x 3 =0

x1-x 2 =0 113 221 x1-x 2 =1 231

x1-x 3=0

Sn are the parking functions of length

n (each occurring once).
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Theorem (Pak, S.). The labels of

R.

Corollary (Shi, 1986) r(Sn) = (n + 1)n As for Bn, let d(R) be the number of hyperplanes in Sn separating R and
1 0

Note: If (R) = (a ; : : : ; an), then

d(R) = a +
1 1

+ an n:

Let R = set of regions of Sn.

Corollary.
X

R2R

qd(R)

= q( )In(1=q):
n

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THE PARKING FUNCTION Sn-MODULE

The symmetric group acts on the set Pn of all parking functions of length n by permuting coordinates. Sample properties: Multiplicity of trivial representation n (number of orbits) = Cn = n n n = 3 : 111 211 221 311 321 Number of elements of Pn xed by w 2 Sn (character value at w): w #Fix(w) = (n + 1)
1 2 +1 (# cycles of ) 1

26

For symmetric function a cionados: Let PFn = ch(Pn).

PFn =
X

1 !PFn = n + 1 `n
X

1 i + n 5m = n n+1 i `n X n(n 1) (n `( ) + 2) = h: m ( )! mn( )! `n

X 2 Y 4
1

1 s (1n )s = n+1 `n
+1

`n X

(n + 1)`

z p
1

2 Y 4

n+1
i

5m

27

Moreover X PFn tn = (tE ( t))h i ;

+1 1

entn, and h i dewhere E (t) notes compositional inverse.

1 0

P = n

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THE HAIMAN MODULE

The group Sn acts on R = C x ; : : : ; xn] by permuting variables, i.e., w xi = xw i . Let RSn = ff 2 R : w f = f for all w 2 Sng: Well-known: RS = C e ; : : : ; en]; where X ek = xi xi xi :
1 ( )
n

according to the tation.

D = R= RS = R=(e ; : : : ; en): Then dim D = n!, and Sn acts on D

n

Let

i1<i2< <i

regular represen29

Now let Sn act diagonally on R = C x ; : : : ; xn; y ; : : : ; yn]; i.e, w xi = xw i ; w yi = yw i : As before, let RSn = ff 2 R : w f = f for all w 2 Sng D = R= RS :
1 1 ( ) ( )
n

(n + 1)n , and the action of Sn on D is isomorphic to the action on Pn, tensored with the sign representation. (Connections with Macdonald polynomials, Hilbert scheme of points in the plane, etc.)
1

Conjecture (Haiman, 1994). dim D =

30

A GENERALIZATION
Let = ( ; : : : ; n );
1 1 1

A -parking function is a sequence (a ; : : : ; an) 2 P n whose increasing rearrangement b bn satis es bi n i . Ordinary parking functions: = (n; n 1; : : : ; 1)
1 +1

> 0:

Number (Steck 1968, Gessel 1996):

2

N( ) = n! det 4(j i + 1)!

31

j i+1 n i+1 5

3n

i;j =1

(with J. Pitman) Given x ; : : : ; xn 2 R , de ne P = P (x1; : : : ; xn) R n by: (y ; : : : ; yn) 2 Pn if 0 yi; y + + yi x + + xi for 1 i n. Theorem. (a) Let x ; : : : ; xn 2 N . Then n! V (Pn) = N ( ); where n i = x + + xi.
1 0 1 1 1 1 +1 1

The Parking Function Polytope

(b) n! V (Pn) =

xi

xi .
n

parking functions

the combinatorial type of an n-cube.

32

Note. If each xi > 0, then Pn has

(i1 ;:::;in )

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Gian-Carlo Rota (B. Sagan and R. Stanley, eds.), Birkhauser, Boston/Basel/Berlin, 1998, pp. 359{375. 26. G. P. Steck, The Smirnov two-sample tests as rank tests, Ann. Math. Statist. 40 (1968), 1449-1466. 27. C. H. Yan, Generalized tree inversions and k-parking functions, J. Combinatorial Theory (A) 79 (1997), 268{280.

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