Discrete Mathematics & Theoretical Computer Science |
We introduce a multiplicity Tutte polynomial $M(x,y)$, which generalizes the ordinary one and has applications to zonotopes and toric arrangements. We prove that $M(x,y)$ satisfies a deletion-restriction recurrence and has positive coefficients. The characteristic polynomial and the Poincaré polynomial of a toric arrangement are shown to be specializations of the associated polynomial $M(x,y)$, likewise the corresponding polynomials for a hyperplane arrangement are specializations of the ordinary Tutte polynomial. Furthermore, $M(1,y)$ is the Hilbert series of the related discrete Dahmen-Micchelli space, while $M(x,1)$ computes the volume and the number of integral points of the associated zonotope.