Enumeration of non-positive planar trivalent graphs

Abstract

In this paper we construct inverse bijections between two sequences of finite sets. One sequence is defined by planar diagrams and the other by lattice walks. G. Kuperberg has shown that the number of elements in these two sets are equal. This problem and the methods we use are motivated by the representation theory of the exceptional simple Lie algebra $G_2$. However in this account we have emphasised the combinatorics.