Symmetric and Asymptotically Symmetric Permutations

Abstract

We consider two related problems arising from a question of R. Graham on quasirandom phenomena in permutation patterns. A ``pattern'' in a permutation $\sigma$ is the order type of the restriction of $\sigma : [n] \to [n]$ to a subset $S \subset [n]$. First, is it possible for the pattern counts in a permutation to be exactly equal to their expected values under a uniform distribution? Attempts to address this question lead naturally to an interesting number theoretic problem: when does $k!$ divide $\binom{n}{k}$? Second, if the tensor product of a permutation with large random permutations is random-like in its pattern counts, what must the pattern counts of the original permutation be? A recursive formula is proved which uses a certain permutation ``contraction.''