Prime graphical parking functions and strongly recurrent configurations of the Abelian sandpile model

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Selig, Thomas, Zhu, Haoyue
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Selig, Thomas
Zhu, Haoyue
author_facet Selig, Thomas
Zhu, Haoyue
contents This work investigates the duality between two discrete dynamical processes: parking functions, and the Abelian sandpile model (ASM). Specifically, we are interested in the extension of classical parking functions, called $G$-parking functions, introduced by Postnikov and Shapiro in 2004. $G$-parking functions are in bijection with recurrent configurations of the ASM on $G$. In this work, we define a notion of prime $G$-parking functions. These are parking functions that are in a sense "indecomposable". Our notion extends the concept of primeness for classical parking functions, as well as the notion of prime $(p,q)$-parking functions introduced by Armon et al. in recent work. We show that from the ASM perspective, prime $G$-parking functions correspond to certain configurations of the ASM, which we call strongly recurrent. We study this new connection on a number of graph families, including wheel graphs, complete graphs, complete multi-partite graphs, and complete split graphs.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2506_23237
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Prime graphical parking functions and strongly recurrent configurations of the Abelian sandpile model
Selig, Thomas
Zhu, Haoyue
Combinatorics
05A19 (Primary), 05A15, 05C30 (Secondary)
This work investigates the duality between two discrete dynamical processes: parking functions, and the Abelian sandpile model (ASM). Specifically, we are interested in the extension of classical parking functions, called $G$-parking functions, introduced by Postnikov and Shapiro in 2004. $G$-parking functions are in bijection with recurrent configurations of the ASM on $G$. In this work, we define a notion of prime $G$-parking functions. These are parking functions that are in a sense "indecomposable". Our notion extends the concept of primeness for classical parking functions, as well as the notion of prime $(p,q)$-parking functions introduced by Armon et al. in recent work. We show that from the ASM perspective, prime $G$-parking functions correspond to certain configurations of the ASM, which we call strongly recurrent. We study this new connection on a number of graph families, including wheel graphs, complete graphs, complete multi-partite graphs, and complete split graphs.
title Prime graphical parking functions and strongly recurrent configurations of the Abelian sandpile model
topic Combinatorics
05A19 (Primary), 05A15, 05C30 (Secondary)
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.23237