Lattice walk area combinatorics, some remarkable trigonometric sums and Apéry-like numbers

Abstract

Explicit algebraic area enumeration formulae are derived for various lattice walks generalizing the canonical square lattice walks, and in particular for the triangular lattice chiral walks recently introduced by the authors. A key element in the enumeration is the derivation of some identities involving some remarkable trigonometric sums –which are also important building blocks of non trivial quantum models such as the Hofstadter model– and their explicit rewriting in terms of multiple binomial sums. An intriguing connection is also made with number theory and some classes of Apéry-like numbers, the cousins of the Apéry numbers which play a central role in irrationality considerations for ζ(2) and ζ(3).