A note on the partition function of a rectangle

Abstract

We investigate the asymptotic behavior of the rectangle partition functions $p(n,n)$ and $p(3,n)$. The function $p(n,n)$ counts partitions of the square $n\times n$ into rectangular blocks with integer sides, while $p(3,n)$ counts such partitions of the rectangle $3\times n$. Two rectangle partitions are identified when they contain the same multiset of rectangle types, and a block $a\times b$ is identified with a block $b\times a$. Our main results are $$p(n,n)=\exp \left(\left(\frac{\pi }{\sqrt{3}}+o(1)\right)n\sqrt{\log n}\right)$$ and $$p(3,n)=\exp \left(\pi \sqrt{\frac{11n}{3}}+O(\log n)\right).$$ We also present simpler upper and lower bounds for $p(n,n)$ and an independent upper bound for $p(3,n)$.

27 pages, 3 figures, 3 tables