The Summation Package Sigma: Underlying Principles and a Rhombus Tiling Application

Abstract : We give an overview of how a huge class of multisum identities can be proven and discovered with the summation package Sigma implemented in the computer algebra system Mathematica. General principles of symbolic summation are discussed. We illustrate the usage of Sigma by showing how one can find and prove a multisum identity that arose in the enumeration of rhombus tilings of a symmetric hexagon. Whereas this identity has been derived alternatively with the help of highly involved transformations of special functions, our tools enable to find and prove this identity completely automatically with the computer.