Self-reciprocity conjecture for rectangular tatami tiling generating functions

For a fixed number of rows r1r\geq 1, let Tr(z)=f(z)/g(z)T_r(z)=f(z)/g(z), where f(z)f(z) and g(z)g(z) are relatively prime polynomials and deg(g(z))=n\deg(g(z))=n.

Self-reciprocity conjecture. The denominator satisfies

g(z)={zng(1z),r0(mod4),zng(1z),r1(mod4),zng(1z),r2(mod4),zng(1z),r3(mod4).g(z)=\left\{\begin{aligned} -z^n g\left(\frac{1}{z}\right),&\quad r\equiv 0\pmod{4},\\ -z^n g\left(-\frac{1}{z}\right),&\quad r\equiv 1\pmod{4},\\ z^n g\left(\frac{1}{z}\right),&\quad r\equiv 2\pmod{4},\\ z^n g\left(-\frac{1}{z}\right),&\quad r\equiv 3\pmod{4}. \end{aligned}\right.

This conjecture summarizes a mod-44 pattern observed in denominator coefficients; in particular, for r2(mod4)r\equiv 2\pmod{4} it implies that g(z)g(z) is self-reciprocal. The source gives no resolution.

Sources & referencesView supporting material

Primary source

Alejandro Erickson, Frank Ruskey, Mark Schurch and Jennifer Woodcock, “Auspicious tatami mat arrangements”, arXiv:1103.3309 (2011).

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