For a complex number \(\alpha \) , we consider the sum of the \(\alpha \) th powers of subtree sizes in Galton–Watson trees conditioned to be of size n. Limiting distributions of this functional \(X_n(\alpha )\) have been determined for \({\text {Re}}\alpha \ne 0\) , revealing a transition between a complex normal limiting distribution for \({\text {Re}}\alpha < 0\) and a non-normal limiting distribution for \({\text {Re}}\alpha > 0\) . In this paper, we complete the picture by proving a normal limiting distribution, along with moment convergence, in the missing case \({\text {Re}}\alpha = 0\) . The same results are also established in the case of the so-called shape functional \(X_n'(0)\) , which is the sum of the logarithms of all subtree sizes; these results were obtained earlier in special cases. In addition, we prove convergence of all moments in the case \({\text {Re}}\alpha < 0\) , where this result was previously missing, and establish new results about the asymptotic mean for real \(\alpha < 1/2\) .
A novel feature for \({\text {Re}}\alpha =0\) is that we find joint convergence for several \(\alpha \) to independent limits, in contrast to the cases \({\text {Re}}\alpha \ne 0\) , where the limit is known to be a continuous function of \(\alpha \) . Another difference from the case \({\text {Re}}\alpha \ne 0\) is that there is a logarithmic factor in the asymptotic variance when \({\text {Re}}\alpha =0\) ; this holds also for the shape functional.
The proofs are largely based on singularity analysis of generating functions.