# A 𝑞–analogue of a formula of Hernandez obtained by inverting a result of Dilcher

## 1. The identities

Hernández in  proved the following identity:

$$\underset{1kn}{}\left(\genfrac{}{}{0pt}{}{n}{k}\right)(1)^{k1}\underset{1i_1i_2\mathrm{}i_m=k}{}\frac{1}{i_1i_2\mathrm{}i_m}=\underset{1kn}{}\frac{1}{k^m}.$$
(1)   
However this identity does not really require a proof, since we will show that it is just an inverted form of an identity of Dilcher; 

$$\underset{1kn}{}\left(\genfrac{}{}{0pt}{}{n}{k}\right)(1)^{k1}\frac{1}{k^m}=\underset{1i_1i_2\mathrm{}i_mn}{}\frac{1}{i_1i_2\mathrm{}i_m}.$$
(2)   
Define for $`k1`$

$$a_k:=\underset{1i_1i_2\mathrm{}i_m=k}{}\frac{1}{i_1i_2\mathrm{}i_m}\text{and}b_k:=\frac{1}{k^m},$$

and $`a_0=b_0=0`$, then the identities are

$`{\displaystyle \underset{0kn}{}}\left({\displaystyle \genfrac{}{}{0pt}{}{n}{k}}\right)(1)^ka_k`$ $`={\displaystyle \underset{0kn}{}}b_k,`$   
$`{\displaystyle \underset{0kn}{}}\left({\displaystyle \genfrac{}{}{0pt}{}{n}{k}}\right)(1)^kb_k`$ $`={\displaystyle \underset{0kn}{}}a_k.`$   
They are inverse relations, as can be seen by introducing ordinary generating functions $`A(z)=a_nz^n`$ and $`B(z)=b_nz^n`$. Then they are

$`{\displaystyle \frac{1}{1z}}A\left({\displaystyle \frac{z}{z1}}\right)`$ $`={\displaystyle \frac{1}{1z}}B(z),`$   
$`{\displaystyle \frac{1}{1z}}B\left({\displaystyle \frac{z}{z1}}\right)`$ $`={\displaystyle \frac{1}{1z}}A(z).`$   
However

$$w=\frac{z}{z1}z=\frac{w}{w1},$$

and the proof is finished

We note that Dilcher’s sum appears also in disguised form in .

## 2. A $`q`$–analogue

Dilcher’s formula (2) was only a corollary of his elegant $`q`$–version;

$$\underset{1kn}{}\left[\genfrac{}{}{0.0pt}{}{n}{k}\right]_q(1)^{k1}\frac{q^{\left(\genfrac{}{}{0pt}{}{k+1}{2}\right)+(m1)k}}{(1q^k)^m}=\underset{1i_1i_2\mathrm{}i_mn}{}\frac{q^{i_1}}{1q^{i_1}}\mathrm{}\frac{q^{i_m}}{1q^{i_m}}.$$

Here, $`\left[\genfrac{}{}{0.0pt}{}{n}{k}\right]_q`$ denotes the Gaussian polynomial

$$\left[\genfrac{}{}{0.0pt}{}{n}{k}\right]_q=\frac{(q;q)_n}{(q;q)_k(q;q)_{nk}}$$

with

$$(x;q)_n:=(1x)(1xq)\mathrm{}(1xq^{n1}).$$

Apart from Dilcher’s paper , the article  is also of some relevance in this context.

Therefore it is a natural question to find a $`q`$–analogue of Hernández’ formula, or, what amount to the same, to find the appropriate inverse relations for the $`q`$–analogues.

We state them in the following lemma which is almost surely not new. However, I found it more appealing to derive it myself rather than hunting for it in the vast $`q`$–literature.

###### Lemma 1.

$`{\displaystyle \underset{k=0}{\overset{n}{}}}b_k`$ $`={\displaystyle \underset{k=0}{\overset{n}{}}}\left[{\displaystyle \genfrac{}{}{0.0pt}{}{n}{k}}\right]_q(1)^kq^{\left(\genfrac{}{}{0pt}{}{k}{2}\right)}a_k,`$ (3)   
$`{\displaystyle \underset{k=0}{\overset{n}{}}}q^ka_k`$ $`={\displaystyle \underset{k=0}{\overset{n}{}}}\left[{\displaystyle \genfrac{}{}{0.0pt}{}{n}{k}}\right]_q(1)^kq^{kn+\left(\genfrac{}{}{0pt}{}{k}{2}\right)}b_k.`$ (4)   
Proof. First note that it is much easier to prove this than to find it (it took me a few hours, but I am not too experienced).

We note that, as is usual in such cases, it is sufficient to prove it for a basis of the vector space of polynomials. Here, we choose $`a_n=q^nx^n(1\frac{1}{x})`$ for $`n1`$ and $`a_0=1`$.

We need the following standard formulæ that are consequences of the $`q`$–binomial theorem (see e. g. ):

$`{\displaystyle \underset{k=0}{\overset{n}{}}}\left[{\displaystyle \genfrac{}{}{0.0pt}{}{n}{k}}\right]_q(1)^kx^k`$ $`=(x;q)_n,`$   
$`{\displaystyle \underset{k=0}{\overset{n}{}}}\left[{\displaystyle \genfrac{}{}{0.0pt}{}{n}{k}}\right]_q(x;q)_kx^{nk}`$ $`=1`$   
We plug the form of $`a_n`$ into the right hand side of (3) and obtain

$`(1\frac{1}{x}){\displaystyle \underset{k=0}{\overset{n}{}}}\left[{\displaystyle \genfrac{}{}{0.0pt}{}{n}{k}}\right]_q(1)^kq^kx^k=(1\frac{1}{x})(qx;q)_n=\frac{1}{x}(x;q)_{n+1}={\displaystyle \underset{k=0}{\overset{n}{}}}b_k.`$   
Thus

$`b_n=\frac{1}{x}(x;q)_{n+1}+\frac{1}{x}(x;q)_n=\frac{1}{x}(x;q)_n(1xq^n1)=q^n(x;q)_n.`$   
We are done if these values of $`a_n`$ and $`b_n`$ also satisfy the relation (4). Note that (4) can be rewritten as

$$\underset{k=0}{\overset{n}{}}q^ka_k=\underset{k=0}{\overset{n}{}}\left[\genfrac{}{}{0.0pt}{}{n}{k}\right]_{1/q}(1)^kq^{\left(\genfrac{}{}{0pt}{}{k+1}{2}\right)}b_k.$$

We plug $`b_n`$ into the right hand side of (4) and obtain

$`{\displaystyle \underset{k=0}{\overset{n}{}}}\left[{\displaystyle \genfrac{}{}{0.0pt}{}{n}{k}}\right]_{1/q}(1)^kq^{\left(\genfrac{}{}{0pt}{}{k+1}{2}\right)}q^k(x;q)_k={\displaystyle \underset{k=0}{\overset{n}{}}}\left[{\displaystyle \genfrac{}{}{0.0pt}{}{n}{k}}\right]_{1/q}(1)^kx^k(\frac{1}{x};\frac{1}{q})_k=x^n={\displaystyle \underset{k=0}{\overset{n}{}}}q^ka_k.`$   
Thus

$`q^na_n=x^nx^{n1}=x^n(1\frac{1}{x}).`$   
We would like to remark that an alternative proof could be found by dealing with the matrices of connecting coefficients.

Define matrices

$`T:=\left[\left[{\displaystyle \genfrac{}{}{0.0pt}{}{n}{k}}\right]_q(1)^kq^{\left(\genfrac{}{}{0pt}{}{k}{2}\right)}\right]_{n,k},S:=\left[\left[{\displaystyle \genfrac{}{}{0.0pt}{}{n}{k}}\right]_q(1)^kq^{kn+\left(\genfrac{}{}{0pt}{}{k}{2}\right)}\right]_{n,k},`$   
$$U=[\mathrm{𝟏}_{nk}]_{n,k},\text{and}V=[q^k\mathrm{𝟏}_{nk}]_{n,k}.$$

Then we have to prove that $`S=VT^1U`$.

This is not too hard, since

$`T^1=\left[\left[{\displaystyle \genfrac{}{}{0.0pt}{}{n}{k}}\right]_q(1)^kq^{kn+\left(\genfrac{}{}{0pt}{}{k+1}{2}\right)}\right]_{n,k},`$   
and

$`T^1U=\left[\left[{\displaystyle \genfrac{}{}{0.0pt}{}{n1}{k1}}\right]_q(1)^kq^{n(k1)+\left(\genfrac{}{}{0pt}{}{k}{2}\right)}\right]_{n,k}.`$   
###### Theorem 1.

\[$`q`$–analogue of Hernández’ formula\]

$`{\displaystyle \underset{1kn}{}}\left[{\displaystyle \genfrac{}{}{0.0pt}{}{n}{k}}\right]_q(1)^{k1}q^{kn+\left(\genfrac{}{}{0pt}{}{k}{2}\right)}{\displaystyle \underset{1i_1i_2\mathrm{}i_m=k}{}}{\displaystyle \frac{q^{i_1}}{1q^{i_1}}}\mathrm{}{\displaystyle \frac{q^{i_m}}{1q^{i_m}}}={\displaystyle \underset{1kn}{}}{\displaystyle \frac{q^{k(m1)}}{(1q^k)^m}}.`$