A context-free grammar for the Ramanujan-Shor polynomials

Abstract

The polynomials ψk(r,x) were introduced by Ramanujan. Berndt, Evans and Wilson obtained a recurrence relation for ψk(r,x). Shor introduced polynomials related to improper edges of a rooted tree, leading to a refinement of Cayley's formula. Zeng realized that the polynomials of Ramanujan coincide with the polynomials of Shor, and that the recurrence relation of Shor coincides with the recurrence relation of Berndt, Evans and Wilson. These polynomials also arise in the work of Wang and Zhou on the orbifold Euler characteristics of the moduli spaces of stable curves. Dumont and Ramamonjisoa found a context-free grammar G to generate the number of rooted trees on n vertices with k improper edges. Based on the grammar G, we find a grammar H for the Ramanujan-Shor polynomials. This leads to a formal calculus for these polynomials. In particular, we obtain a grammatical derivation of the Berndt-Evans-Wilson-Shor recursion. We also provide a grammatical approach to the Abel identities and a grammatical explanation of the Lacasse identity.