The three-halves-unit shifted triangular-hole tiling enumeration conjecture

From papers

Let a,b,c,ma,b,c,m be nonnegative integers, with aa of parity different from the parity of both bb and cc. Consider a hexagon with side lengths a,b+m,c,a+m,b,c+ma,b+m,c,a+m,b,c+m, from which an equilateral triangle of side length mm is removed in the three-halves-unit off-center position described in the source. Let H\operatorname{H} denote the hyperfactorial function, and define P2(a,b,c,m)P_2(a,b,c,m) by

P2(a,b,c,m)={((a+b)21)((a+c)21)+4am(a2+2ab+b2+2ac+3bc+c2)+2am+3bm+3cm+2m21,a even,((a+b)21)((a+c)21)+4(a+b+c+m)m(a2+bc1),a odd.P_2(a,b,c,m)=\begin{cases} ((a+b)^2-1)((a+c)^2-1)+4am(a^2+2ab+b^2+2ac+3bc+c^2)+2am+3bm+3cm+2m^2-1,&a\text{ even},\\ ((a+b)^2-1)((a+c)^2-1)+4(a+b+c+m)m(a^2+bc-1),&a\text{ odd.} \end{cases}

Three-halves-unit shifted-hole tiling conjecture. The number of lozenge tilings of this hexagon with the triangular hole equals

116H(a+m)H(b+m)H(c+m)H(a+b+c+m)H(a+b+m)H(a+c+m)H(b+c+m)×H(m2)2x{a,b,c}H(x2)H(x2)x{a,b,c}H(m2+x2)H(m2+x2)×H(a+b2+m2)H(a+b2+m2)H(a+c2+m2)H(a+c2+m2)H(b+c2+m2)2H(m2+a+b+c2)H(m2+a+b+c2)H(a+b21)H(a+c2+1)H(b+c2)×H(m+a+b+c2)H(m+a+b+c2)H(a+c2+m1)H(b+c2+m)H(a+b2+m+1)P2(a,b,c,m).\begin{aligned} &\frac{1}{16}\frac{\operatorname{H}(a+m)\operatorname{H}(b+m)\operatorname{H}(c+m)\operatorname{H}(a+b+c+m)}{\operatorname{H}(a+b+m)\operatorname{H}(a+c+m)\operatorname{H}(b+c+m)}\\ &\quad\times\frac{\operatorname{H}\left(\frac m2\right)^2\prod_{x\in\{a,b,c\}}\operatorname{H}\left(\left\lceil\frac x2\right\rceil\right)\operatorname{H}\left(\left\lfloor\frac x2\right\rfloor\right)}{\prod_{x\in\{a,b,c\}}\operatorname{H}\left(\frac m2+\left\lceil\frac x2\right\rceil\right)\operatorname{H}\left(\frac m2+\left\lfloor\frac x2\right\rfloor\right)}\\ &\quad\times\frac{\operatorname{H}\left(\left\lceil\frac{a+b}{2}\right\rceil+\frac m2\right)\operatorname{H}\left(\left\lfloor\frac{a+b}{2}\right\rfloor+\frac m2\right)\operatorname{H}\left(\left\lfloor\frac{a+c}{2}\right\rfloor+\frac m2\right)\operatorname{H}\left(\left\lceil\frac{a+c}{2}\right\rceil+\frac m2\right)\operatorname{H}\left(\frac{b+c}{2}+\frac m2\right)^2}{\operatorname{H}\left(\frac m2+\left\lceil\frac{a+b+c}{2}\right\rceil\right)\operatorname{H}\left(\frac m2+\left\lfloor\frac{a+b+c}{2}\right\rfloor\right)\operatorname{H}\left(\left\lfloor\frac{a+b}{2}\right\rfloor-1\right)\operatorname{H}\left(\left\lceil\frac{a+c}{2}\right\rceil+1\right)\operatorname{H}\left(\frac{b+c}{2}\right)}\\ &\quad\times\frac{\operatorname{H}\left(m+\left\lceil\frac{a+b+c}{2}\right\rceil\right)\operatorname{H}\left(m+\left\lfloor\frac{a+b+c}{2}\right\rfloor\right)}{\operatorname{H}\left(\left\lfloor\frac{a+c}{2}\right\rfloor+m-1\right)\operatorname{H}\left(\frac{b+c}{2}+m\right)\operatorname{H}\left(\left\lceil\frac{a+b}{2}\right\rceil+m+1\right)}P_2(a,b,c,m). \end{aligned}

The statement is introduced as something that “seems to be true”; no resolution is supplied in the source.

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Sources & referencesView supporting material

Primary source

Mihai Ciucu, Theresia Eisenkölbl, C. Krattenthaler and D. Zare, “Enumeration of lozenge tilings of hexagons with a central triangular hole”, arXiv:math/9912053 (1999).

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