Distribution properties for t-hooks in partitions

TL;DR

This paper investigates the distribution of partitions with even or odd numbers of t-hooks, establishing limiting ratios and exact formulas using the Rademacher circle method, revealing asymptotic behaviors and periodic sign patterns.

Contribution

It provides new asymptotic results and exact formulas for the distribution of t-hooks in partitions, extending understanding of their limiting behavior.

Findings

For even t, the ratio approaches 1/2 as n grows large.

For odd t, the ratio converges to a value depending on the parity of n.

Signs of the difference between even and odd t-hook counts are periodic for large n.

Abstract

Partitions, the partition function $p(n)$, and the hook lengths of their Ferrers-Young diagrams are important objects in combinatorics, number theory and representation theory. For positive integers $n$ and $t$, we study $p_t^e(n)$ (resp. $p_t^o(n)$), the number of partitions of $n$ with an even (resp. odd) number of $t$-hooks. We study the limiting behavior of the ratio $p_t^e(n)/p(n)$, which also gives $p_t^o(n)/p(n)$ since $p_t^e(n) + p_t^0(n) = p(n)$. For even $t$, we show that $$\lim\limits_{n \to \infty} \dfrac{p_t^e(n)}{p(n)} = \dfrac{1}{2},$$ and for odd $t$ we establish the non-uniform distribution $$\lim\limits_{n \to \infty} \dfrac{p^e_t(n)}{p(n)} = \begin{cases} \dfrac{1}{2} + \dfrac{1}{2^{(t+1)/2}} & \text{if } 2 \mid n, \\ \\ \dfrac{1}{2} - \dfrac{1}{2^{(t+1)/2}} & \text{otherwise.} \end{cases}$$ Using the Rademacher circle method, we find an exact formula for $p_t^e(n)$ and $p_t^o(n)$, and this exact formula yields these distribution properties for large $n$. We also show that for sufficiently large $n$, the signs of $p_t^e(n) - p_t^o(n)$ are periodic.