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Combinatorial interpretations of Lucas analogues of binomial coefficients and Catalan numbers. (English) Zbl 1451.05009
Summary: The Lucas sequence is a sequence of polynomials in $$s$$, $$t$$ defined recursively by $$\{0\}=0, \{1\}=1$$, and $$\{n\}=s\{n-1\}+t\{n-2\}$$ for $$n\ge 2$$. On specialization of $$s$$ and $$t$$ one can recover the Fibonacci numbers, the nonnegative integers, and the $$q$$-integers $$[n]_q$$. Given a quantity which is expressed in terms of products and quotients of nonnegative integers, one obtains a Lucas analogue by replacing each factor of $$n$$ in the expression with $$\{n\}$$. It is then natural to ask if the resulting rational function is actually a polynomial in $$s$$, $$t$$ with nonnegative integer coefficients and, if so, what it counts. The first simple combinatorial interpretation for this polynomial analogue of the binomial coefficients was given by B. E. Sagan and C. D. Savage [Integers 10, No. 6, 697–703, A52 (2010; Zbl 1227.11041)], although their model resisted being used to prove identities for these Lucasnomials or extending their ideas to other combinatorial sequences. The purpose of this paper is to give a new, even more natural model for these Lucasnomials using lattice paths which can be used to prove various equalities as well as extending to Catalan numbers and their relatives, such as those for finite Coxeter groups.

##### MSC:
 05A10 Factorials, binomial coefficients, combinatorial functions 05A15 Exact enumeration problems, generating functions 05A19 Combinatorial identities, bijective combinatorics 11B39 Fibonacci and Lucas numbers and polynomials and generalizations
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##### References:
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