Abstract:   Andrews, Lewis and Lovejoy introduced the partition function PD(n) as the number of partitions of n with designated summands, where we assume that among parts with equal size, exactly one is designated. They proved that PD(3n+2) is divisible by 3 and showed that the generating function of PD(3n) can be expressed as an infinite product of powers of (1-q²ⁿ⁺¹) times a function F(q²). We obtain a Ramanujan type identity which implies the congruence for PD(3n+2). We also find an explicit formula for F(q²), which leads to a formula for the generating function of PD(3n). A formula for the generating function of PD(3n + 1) is also obtained. Our proofs rely on Chan's identity on Ramanujan's cubic continued fraction and some identities on cubic theta functions. By introducing a rank for the partitions with designed summands, we give a combinatorial interpretation of the congruence for PD(3n+2).

  AMS Classification:  05A17, 11P83, 05A30

  Keywords:   partition with designated summands, Ramanujan type identity, Ramanujan's cubic continued fraction, cubic theta function

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