The Raney Numbers and $(s,s+1)$-Core Partitions

Abstract

The Raney numbers $R_{p,r}(k)$ are a two-parameter generalization of the Catalan numbers. In this paper, we obtain a recurrence relation for the Raney numbers which is a generalization of the recurrence relation for the Catalan numbers. Using this recurrence relation, we confirm a conjecture posed by Amdeberhan concerning the enumeration of $(s,s+1)$-core partitions $\lambda$ with parts that are multiples of $p$. We then give a new combinatorial interpretation for the Raney numbers $R_{p+1,r+1}(k)$ with $0\leq r<p$ in terms of $(kp+r,kp+r+1)$-core partitions $\lambda$ with parts that are multiples of $p$.