Published online by Cambridge University Press: 28 February 2011
We present a CAT (constant amortized time) algorithm for generating those partitions of n that are in the ice pile model$\mbox{IPM}_k$(n), a generalization of the sand pile model$\mbox{SPM}$(n). More precisely, for any fixed integer k, we show that the negative lexicographic ordering naturally identifies a tree structure on the lattice $\mbox{IPM}_k$(n): this lets us design an algorithm which generates all the ice piles of $\mbox{IPM}_k$(n) in amortized time O(1) and in space O($\sqrt n$).