A352373 a(n) = [x^n] ( 1/((1 - x)^2*(1 - x^2)) )^n for n >= 1.

2, 12, 74, 484, 3252, 22260, 154352, 1080612, 7621526, 54071512, 385454940, 2758690636, 19810063392, 142662737376, 1029931873824, 7451492628260, 54013574117106, 392188079586468, 2851934621212598, 20766924805302984, 151403389181347160, 1105047483656041080

Offset: 1

Author

Peter Bala, Mar 14 2022

Keywords

• nonn
• easy

Comments

Suppose n identical objects are distributed in 3*n labeled baskets, 2*n colored white and n colored black. White baskets can contain any number of objects (or be empty), while black baskets must contain an even number of objects (or be empty). a(n) is the number of distinct possible distributions.

Number of nonnegative integer solutions to n = x_1 + x_2 + ... + x_(2*n) + 2*y_1 + 2*y_2 + ... + 2*y_n.

The Gauss congruences a(n*p^k) == a(n*p^(k-1)) (mod p^k) hold for all primes p and positive integers n and k.

Calculation suggests that, in fact, stronger congruences may hold.

Conjecture: the supercongruences a(n*p^k) == a(n*p^(k-1)) (mod p^(3*k)) hold for all primes p >= 5 and positive integers n and k.

More generally, let r and s be integers and define a sequence (a(r,s;n))n>=1 by a(r,s;n) = [x^n] ( (1 + x)^r * (1 - x)^s )^n.

Conjecture: for each r and s the above supercongruences hold for the sequence (a(r,s;n))n>=1.

The present sequence is the case r = -1 and s = -3. Other cases include A000984 (r = 2, s = 0), A001700 with offset 1 (r = 0, s = -1), A002003 (r = 1, s = -1), A091527 (r = 3, s = -1), A119259 (r = 2, s = -1), A156894 (r = 1, s = -2), A165817 (r = 0, s = -2), A234839 (r = 1, s = 2), A348410 (r = -1, s = -2) and A351857 (r = -2, s = -4).

Examples

			n = 2: 12 distributions of 2 identical objects in 4 white and 2 black baskets
             White         Black
   1)   (0) (0) (0) (0)   [2] [0]
   2)   (0) (0) (0) (0)   [0] [2]
   3)   (2) (0) (0) (0)   [0] [0]
   4)   (0) (2) (0) (0)   [0] [0]
   5)   (0) (0) (2) (0)   [0] [0]
   6)   (0) (0) (0) (2)   [0] [0]
   7)   (1) (1) (0) (0)   [0] [0]
   8)   (1) (0) (1) (0)   [0] [0]
   9)   (1) (0) (0) (1)   [0] [0]
  10)   (0) (1) (1) (0)   [0] [0]
  11)   (0) (1) (0) (1)   [0] [0]
  12)   (0) (0) (1) (1)   [0] [0]
Examples of supercongruences:
a(7) - a(1) = 154352 - 2 = 2*(3^2)*(5^2)*(7^3) == 0 (mod 7^3);
a(2*11) - a(2) = 1105047483656041080 - 12 = (2^2)*3*(11^3)*13*101*103*2441* 209581 == 0 (mod 11^3).
		

References

• R. P. Stanley, Enumerative Combinatorics Volume 2, Cambridge Univ. Press, 1999, Theorem 6.33, p. 197.

Links

• Paolo Xausa, Table of n, a(n) for n = 1..1000

Crossrefs

Cf. A000984, A001448, A001700, A002003, A091527, A119259, A156894, A165817, A211419, A211421, A234839, A262733, A276098, A348410, A351856, A351857.

Programs

Maple

seq(add( binomial(3*n-2*k-1,n-2*k)*binomial(n+k-1,k), k = 0..floor(n/2)), n = 1..25);

Mathematica

nterms=25;Table[Sum[Binomial[3n-2k-1,n-2k]Binomial[n+k-1,k],{k,0,Floor[n/2]}],{n,nterms}] (* Paolo Xausa, Apr 10 2022 *)

Formula

a(n) = Sum_{k = 0..floor(n/2)} binomial(3*n-2*k-1,n-2*k)*binomial(n+k-1,k).

a(n) = Sum_{k = 0..n} (-1)^k*binomial(4*n-k-1,n-k)*binomial(n+k-1,k).

a(n) = binomial(4*n-1,n)*hypergeom([n, -n], [1-4*n], -1).

48*n*(n-1)*(3*n-1)*(3*n-2)*(93*n^3-434*n^2+668*n-339)*a(n) = 12*(n-1)*(21762*n^6-134199*n^5+323805*n^4-386685*n^3+237728*n^2-70336*n+7680)*a(n-1) + 5*(5*n-9)*(5*n-8)*(5*n-7)*(5*n-6)*(93*n^3-155*n^2+79*n-12)*a(n-2) with a(1) = 2 and a(2) = 12.

The o.g.f. A(x) = 2*x + 12*x^2 + 74*x^3 + ... is the diagonal of the bivariate rational function x*t/(1 - t/((1 - x)^2*(1 - x^2))) and hence is an algebraic function over Q(x) by Stanley 1999, Theorem 6.33, p. 197.

A(x) = x*d/dx(log(F(x))), where F(x) = (1/x)*Series_Reversion( x*(1 - x)^2*(1 - x^2) ).

a(n) ~ sqrt(4 + sqrt(6)) * (13/4 + 31*sqrt(6)/18)^n / (2*sqrt(5*Pi*n)). - Vaclav Kotesovec, Mar 15 2022