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Permutation statistics and linear extensions of posets. (English) Zbl 0742.05084
The relation between two permutation statistics — the inversion index and the major index — are studied. For a permutation $$\sigma=\sigma_ 1\sigma_ 2\cdots\sigma_ n$$, the inversion index is the number of ordered pairs $$(i,j)$$ such that $$i<j$$ and $$\sigma_ i>\sigma_ j$$; the major index is the sum of all $$i$$ such that $$\sigma_ i>\sigma_{i+1}$$. By a theorem of MacMahon these statistics are equidistributed on $$S_ n$$, i.e., the number of permutations with a given inversion index coincides with the number of those having the same major index. Foata’s bijection takes $$maj$$ to $$inv$$ and so justifies this result. The subsets $$U$$ of $$S_ n$$ for which these statistics are equidistributed are characterized; this extends the previous results of Foata, Schützenberger, and the authors. The characterization is complete when $$U$$ is a set of linear extensions of a naturally labeled poset $$P$$; in this case $$U$$ must be invariant under Foata’s bijection, and $$P$$ should be a postorder labeled forest. The intervals in the weak Bruhat order of $$S_ n$$ are also studied from the same viewpoint.

##### MSC:
 05E99 Algebraic combinatorics 06A07 Combinatorics of partially ordered sets
##### Keywords:
permutation statistics; inversion index; major index
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##### References:
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