Eventually nondecreasing quasi-polynomials

Abstract

Quasi-polynomials are ubiquitous in combinatorics and algebra, as they arise in a variety of enumeration problems. Because quasi-polynomials consist of constituent polynomials, their behavior is more subtle than for a single polynomial. In particular, unlike for a polynomial, it is possible for a quasi-polynomial defined on the positive integers to have infinitely many points at which it is decreasing. In this work, we characterize quasi-polynomials of degree $d$ and period dividing $p$ that are eventually nondecreasing, i.e., that have only finitely many values at which they decrease. We then give a detailed analysis of the space of eventually nondecreasing quasi-polynomials with fixed degree $d$ and period dividing a fixed $p$ such that the $h$-vector of the quasi-polynomial is nonnegative. Using this analysis, we determine the rate of growth of the number of such quasi-polynomials as a function of the sum of the $h$-vector entries for the $0$-th constituent polynomial.