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Proper \(n\)-cell polycubes in \(n - 3\) dimensions. (English) Zbl 1292.05080

Summary: A \(d\)-dimensional polycube of size \(n\) is a connected set of \(n\) cubes in \(d\) dimensions, where connectivity is through \((d-1)\)-dimensional faces. Enumeration of polycubes, and, in particular, specific types of polycubes, as well as computing the asymptotic growth rate of polycubes, is a popular problem in combinatorics and discrete geometry. This is also an important tool in statistical physics for computations and analysis of percolation processes and collapse of branched polymers. A polycube is said to be \(proper\) in \(d\) dimensions if the convex hull of the centers of its cubes is \(d\)-dimensional. In this paper we prove that the number of polycubes of size \(n\) that are proper in \(n-3\) dimensions is \(2^{n-6} n^{n-7} (n-3) (12n^{5} - 104n^{4} + 360n^{3} - 679n^{2} + 1122n - 1560)/3\).

MSC:

05B50 Polyominoes
05A15 Exact enumeration problems, generating functions
05A16 Asymptotic enumeration
05C30 Enumeration in graph theory

Software:

OEIS