Dyck Paths and Positroids from Unit Interval Orders

Abstract: It is well known that the number of non-isomorphic unit interval orders on $[n]$ equals the $n$-th Catalan number. Using work of Skandera and Reed and work of Postnikov, we show that each unit interval order on $[n]$ naturally induces a rank $n$ positroid on $[2n]$. We call the positroids produced in this fashion unit interval positroids. We characterize the unit interval positroids by describing their associated decorated permutations, showing that each one must be a $2n$-cycle encoding a Dyck path of length $2n$. We also provide recipes to read the decorated permutation of a unit interval positroid $P$ from both the antiadjacency matrix and the interval representation of the unit interval order inducing $P$. Using our characterization of the decorated permutation, we describe the Le-diagrams corresponding to unit interval positroids. In addition, we give a necessary and sufficient condition for two Grassmann cells parameterized by unit interval positroids to be adjacent inside the Grassmann cell complex. Finally, we propose a potential approach to find the $f$-vector of a unit interval order.