English

The inversion statistic in derangements and in other permutations with a prescribed number of fixed points

Probability 2025-05-06 v1 Combinatorics

Abstract

We study how the inversion statistic is influenced by fixed points in a permutation. %The expected number of inversions in a uniformly random permutation in SnS_n is n(n1)4\frac{n(n-1)}4. For each nNn\in\mathbb{N}, and each k{0,1,,n}k\in\{0,1,\cdots, n\}, let Pn(k)P_n^{(k)} denote the uniform probability measure on the set of permutations in SnS_n with exactly kk fixed points. We obtain an exact formula for the expected number of inversions under the measure Pn(k)P_n^{(k)} as well as for Pn(k)(σi1<σj1)P_n^{(k)}(\sigma^{-1}_i<\sigma^{-1}_j), for 1i<jn1\le i<j\le n, the Pn(k)P_n^{(k)}-probability that the number ii precedes the number jj. In particular, up to a super-exponentially small correction as nn\to\infty, the expected number of inversions in a random derangement (k=0)(k=0) is 16n+112\frac16n+\frac1{12} more than the value n(n1)4\frac{n(n-1)}4 that one obtains for a uniformly random general permutation in SnS_n. On the other hand, up to a super-exponentially small correction, for k2k\ge2, the expected number of inversions in a random permutation with kk fixed points is k16n+k2k112\frac{k-1}6n+\frac{k^2-k-1}{12} less than n(n1)4\frac{n(n-1)}4. In the borderline case, k=1k=1, up to a super-exponentially small correction, the expected number of inversions in a random permutation with one fixed point is 112\frac1{12} more than n(n1)4\frac{n(n-1)}4. The proofs make strategic and perhaps novel use of the Chinese restaurant construction for a uniformly random permutation.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2505.02058,
  title  = {The inversion statistic in derangements and in other permutations with a prescribed number of fixed points},
  author = {Ross G. Pinsky},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2505.02058},
  year   = {2025}
}