The species of interval orders

Abstract

We show that, in the ring of virtual species, \[ \mathcal{I}=\sum_{m\geq 0}(-1)^m\prod_{i=1}^{m}\bigl((E^{-1})^i-1\bigr), \] where $\mathcal{I}$ is the species of interval orders and $E^{-1}$ is the multiplicative inverse of the species $E$ of sets. The right-hand side is the virtual species of signed ballot matrices introduced by Claesson and Hannah. They showed that its signed cardinality counts labeled interval orders. We strengthen this to a species identity, which we prove twice: first algebraically and then bijectively, using a natural sign-reversing involution. The cycle index series of $\mathcal{I}$ specializes to the generating series for labeled and unlabeled interval orders. We describe the automorphism group of an interval order as a Young subgroup and prove the identity $\mathcal{I}=\mathcal{R}\circ E_{+}$, where $\mathcal{R}$ is the species of rigid interval orders. We also show that Glaisher's T-number $T_n$ counts the $24$-colored interval orders on $[n]$ in which no isolated element has color $24$.