Mex-related partitions and relations to ordinary partition and singular overpartitions

Abstract

In a recent paper, Andrews and Newman introduced certain families of partition functions using the minimal excludant or "mex" function. In this article, we study two of the families of functions Andrews and Newman introduced, namely $p_{t,t}(n)$ and $p_{2t,t}(n)$. We establish identities connecting the ordinary partition function $p(n)$ to $p_{t,t}(n)$ and $p_{2t,t}(n)$ for all $t\geq 1$. Using these identities, we prove that the Ramanujan's famous congruences for $p(n)$ are also satisfied by $p_{t,t}(n)$ and $p_{2t,t}(n)$ for infinitely many values of $t$. Very recently, da Silva and Sellers provide complete parity characterizations of $p_{1,1}(n)$ and $p_{3,3}(n)$. We prove that $p_{t,t}(n)\equiv \overline{C}_{4t,t}(n) \pmod{2}$ for all $n\geq 0$ and $t\geq 1$, where $\overline{C}_{4t,t}(n)$ is the Andrews' singular overpartition function. Using this congruence, the parity characterization of $p_{1,1}(n)$ given by da Silva and Sellers follows from that of $\overline{C}_{4,1}(n)$. We also give elementary proofs of certain congruences already proved by da Silva and Sellers.