Pfaffian evaluations for Motzkin, Delannoy, Schröder and Narayana sequences

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Let Mn=∑k=0n(n2k)CkM_n=\sum_{k=0}^n\binom{n}{2k}C_k be the Motzkin numbers, Dn=∑k=0n(nk)(n+kk)D_n=\sum_{k=0}^n\binom{n}{k}\binom{n+k}{k} the central Delannoy numbers, Sn=∑k=0n(n+k2k)CkS_n=\sum_{k=0}^n\binom{n+k}{2k}C_k the Schröder numbers, and Nn(a)=∑k=0n1n(nk)(nk−1)akN_n(a)=\sum_{k=0}^n\frac1n\binom{n}{k}\binom{n}{k-1}a^k the Narayana polynomials, with N0(a)=1N_0(a)=1. Motzkin–Delannoy–Schröder–Narayana Pfaffian conjecture. For every integer n≥1n\geq1,

Pf((j−i)Mi+j−3)1≤i,j≤2n=∏k=0n−1(4k+1),\mathop{\rm Pf}\biggl((j-i)M_{i+j-3}\biggr)_{1\leq i,j\leq 2n}=\prod_{k=0}^{n-1}(4k+1), Pf((j−i)Di+j−3)1≤i,j≤2n=2n2−1(2n−1)∏k=1n−1(4k−1),\mathop{\rm Pf}\biggl((j-i)D_{i+j-3}\biggr)_{1\leq i,j\leq 2n}=2^{n^2-1}(2n-1)\prod_{k=1}^{n-1}(4k-1), Pf((j−i)Si+j−2)1≤i,j≤2n=2n2∏k=0n−1(4k+1),\mathop{\rm Pf}\biggl((j-i)S_{i+j-2}\biggr)_{1\leq i,j\leq 2n}=2^{n^2}\prod_{k=0}^{n-1}(4k+1),

and

Pf((j−i)Ni+j−2(a))1≤i,j≤2n=an2∏k=0n−1(4k+1).\mathop{\rm Pf}\biggl((j-i)N_{i+j-2}(a)\biggr)_{1\leq i,j\leq 2n}=a^{n^2}\prod_{k=0}^{n-1}(4k+1).

These are conjectural Pfaffian evaluations based on lattice-path sequences and computer experiments. Since Cn=Nn(1)C_n=N_n(1), Sn=Nn(2)S_n=N_n(2), and the stated relation expresses Mn−1M_{n-1} through NnN_n, proving the Narayana identity would imply the Motzkin and Schröder identities; the conjecture remains open.

References

Primary source

Masao Ishikawa, Hiroyuki Tagawa and Jiang Zeng, “Pfaffian decomposition and a Pfaffian analogue of q-Catalan Hankel determinants”, arXiv:1011.5941 (2010).

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