The shifted Schur measure introduced by Tracy and Widom is a measure on the set of all strict partitions, which is defined by Schur $Q$-functions. The main aim of this paper is to calculate the correlation function of this measure, which is given by a pfaffian. As an application, we prove that a limit distribution of $λ_j$'s with respect to a shifted version of the Plancherel measure for symmetric groups is identical with the corresponding distribution of the original Plancherel measure. Further we give expressions of the mean value and the variance of the size of a partition with respect to the measure defined by Hall-Littlewood functions.
For any complex number $α$ and any even-size skew-symmetric matrix $B$, we define a generalization $\pfaα(B)$ of the pfaffian $\pf(B)$ which we call the $α$-pfaffian. The $α$-pfaffian is a pfaffian analogue of the $α$-determinant. It gives the pfaffian at $α=-1$. We give some formulas for $α$-pfaffians and study the positivity. Further we define point processes determined by the $α$-pfaffian. Also we provide a linear algebraic proof of the explicit pfaffian expression for the correlation function of the shifted Schur measure.
To each partition $λ$ with distinct parts we assign the probability $Q_λ(x) P_λ(y)/Z$ where $Q_λ$ and $P_λ$ are the Schur $Q$-functions and $Z$ is a normalization constant. This measure, which we call the shifted Schur measure, is analogous to the much-studied Schur measure. For the specialization of the first $m$ coordinates of $x$ and the first $n$ coordinates of $y$ equal to $α$ ($0<α<1$) and the rest equal to zero, we derive a limit law for $λ_1$ as $m,n\ra\infty$ with $τ=m/n$ fixed. For the Schur measure the $α$-specialization limit law was derived by Johansson. Our main result implies th…
By considering type B analogs of permutations and tableaux, we extend abstract dual equivalence to type B in two directions. In one direction, we define involutions on signed permutations and shifted tableaux that give a weak dual equivalence, thereby giving another proof of the Schur positivity of Schur Q- and P-functions. In another direction, we define an abstract shifted dual equivalence parallel to dual equivalence and prove that it can be used to establish Schur P-positivity of a function expressed as a sum of shifted fundamental quasisymmetric functions.
In this paper we define the shifted Schur process as a measure on sequences of strict partitions. This process is a generalization of the shifted Schur measure introduced in [TW] and [Mat] and is a shifted version of the Schur process introduced in [OR]. We prove that the shifted Schur process defines a Pfaffian point process. We further apply this fact to compute the bulk scaling limit of the correlation functions for a measure on strict plane partitions which is an analog of the uniform measure on ordinary plane partitions. As a byproduct, we obtain a shifted analog of the famous MacMahon's …
We show that if $N \geq \exp(\exp(\exp (k^{O(1)})))$, then any $k$-colouring of the primes that are less than $N$ contains a monochromatic solution to $p_1 - p_2 = p_3 -1$.
We introduce a shifted analog of the plactic monoid of Lascoux and Schützenberger, the \emph{shifted plactic monoid}. It can be defined in two different ways: via the \emph{shifted Knuth relations}, or using Haiman's mixed insertion. Applications include: a new combinatorial derivation (and a new version of) the shifted Littlewood-Richardson Rule; similar results for the coefficients in the Schur expansion of a Schur $P$-function; a shifted counterpart of the Lascoux-Schützenberger theory of noncommutative Schur functions in plactic variables; a characterization of shifted tableau words; and m…
We define crystal operators on semistandard shifted tableaux, giving a new proof that Schur $P$-functions are Schur positive. We define a queer crystal operator to construct a connected queer crystal on semistandard shifted tableaux of a given shape, providing a new proof that products of Schur $P$-functions are Schur $P$-positive. We also give a rectification map from shifted tableaux to Young tableaux that commutes with the crystal operators and provides a dual algorithm to shifted insertion.
We study Schur Q-polynomials evaluated on a geometric progression, or equivalently q-enumeration of marked shifted tableaux, seeking explicit formulas that remain regular at q=1. We obtain several such expressions as multiple basic hypergeometric series, and as determinants and pfaffians of continuous q-ultraspherical or continuous q-Jacobi polynomials. As special cases, we obtain simple closed formulas for staircase-type partitions.
We introduce a new combinatorial object, semistandard increasing decomposition tableau and study its relation to a semistandard decomposition tableau introduced by Kraśkiewicz and developed by Lam and Serrano. We also introduce generalized Littlewood--Richardson coefficients for products of Schur's symmetric functions and give combinatorial descriptions in terms of tableau words. The insertion algorithms play central roles for proofs. A new description of shifted Littlewood--Richardson coefficients is given in terms of semistandard increasing decomposition tableaux. We show that a "big" Schur …
The action of the Bernstein operators on Schur functions was given in terms of codes in [CG] and extended to the analog in Schur Q-functions in [HJS]. We define a new combinatorial model of extended codes and show that both of these results follow from a natural combinatorial relation induced on codes. The new algebraic structure provides a natural setting for Schur functions indexed by compositions.
We give local axioms that uniquely characterize the crystal-like structure on shifted tableaux developed in a previous paper by Gillespie, Levinson, and Purbhoo. These axioms closely resemble those developed by Stembridge for type A tableau crystals. This axiomatic characterization gives rise to a new method for proving and understanding Schur $Q$-positive expansions in symmetric function theory, just as the Stembridge axiomatic structure provides for ordinary Schur positivity.
We classify the $Q$-multiplicity-free skew Schur $Q$-functions. Towards this result, we also provide new relations between the shifted Littlewood-Richardson coefficients.
In this paper are introduced two classes of elements in the enveloping algebra $\mathbf{U}(gl(n))$: the \emph{double Young-Capelli bitableaux} $[\ \fbox{$S \ | \ T$}\ ]$ and the \emph{central} \emph{Schur elements} $\mathbf{S}_λ(n)$, that act in a remarkable way on the highest weight vectors of irreducible Schur modules. Any element $\mathbf{S}_λ(n)$ is the sum of all double Young-Capelli bitableaux $[\ \fbox{$S \ | \ S$}\ ]$, $S$ row (strictly) increasing Young tableaux of shape $\widetildeλ$. The Schur elements $\mathbf{S}_λ(n)$ are proved to be the preimages - with respect to the Harish-Cha…
Plane partitions have been widely studied in Mathematics since MacMahon. See, for example, the works by Andrews, Macdonald, Stanley, Sagan and Krattenthaler. The Schur process approach, introduced by Okounkov and Reshetikhin, and further developed by Borodin, Corwin, Corteel, Savelief and Vuletić, has been proved to be a powerful tool in the study of various kinds of plane partitions. The exact enumerations of ordinary plane partitions, shifted plane partitions and cylindric partitions could be derived from two summation formulas for Schur processes, namely, the open summation formula and the …
Classical Schur P-functions are the particular case of Hall-Littlewood polynomials when the parameter is equal to -1. We introduce factorial (interpolation) analogues of Schur P-functions. A dimension of a skew shifted Young diagram is the number of standard tableaux of the given shape. Also these numbers are equal up to simple factors to the decomposition coefficients of the restriction of an irreducible representation of a spin-symmetric group to a smaller spin-symmetric group. In terms of the factorial Schur P-functions we obtain an explicit formula for the dimension of a skew shifted Young…
While equality of skew Schur functions is well understood, the problem of determining when two skew Schur $Q$ functions are equal is still largely open. It has been studied in the case of ribbon shapes in 2008 by Barekat and van Willigenburg, and this paper approaches the problem for near-ribbon shapes, formed by adding one box to a ribbon skew shape. We particularly consider frayed ribbons, that is, the near-ribbons whose shifted skew shape is not an ordinary skew shape. We conjecture, with evidence, that all Schur $Q$ functions of frayed ribbon shape are distinct up to antipodal reflection. …
We prove Stanley's conjecture that, if delta_n is the staircase shape, then the skew Schur functions s_{delta_n / mu} are non-negative sums of Schur P-functions. We prove that the coefficients in this sum count certain fillings of shifted shapes. In particular, for the skew Schur function s_{delta_n / delta_{n-2}}, we discuss connections with Eulerian numbers and alternating permutations.
We present some corollaries to a symplectic primed shifted tableaux version of Tokuyama's identity expressed in terms of other combinatorial constructs, namely generalised $U$-turn alternating sign matrices and strict symplectic Gelfand-Tsetlin patterns.
In a recent paper, Carrell and Goulden found a combinatorial identity of the Bernstein operators that they then used to prove Bernstein's Theorem. We show that this identity is a straightforward consequence of the classical result. We also show how a similar approach using the codes of partitions can be generalized from Schur functions to also include Schur $Q$-functions and derive the combinatorial formulation for both cases. We then apply them by examining the Littlewood-Richardson and Pieri Rules.
A recent paper of Bump, McNamara and Nakasuji introduced a factorial version of Tokuyama's identity, expressing the partition function of a six vertex model as the product of a t-deformed Vandermonde and a Schur function. Here we provide an extension of their result by exploiting the language of primed shifted tableaux, with its proof based on the use of non-intersecting lattice paths.
We present a family of analogs of the Hall-Littlewood symmetric functions in the $Q$-function algebra. The change of basis coefficients between this family and Schur's $Q$-functions are $q$-analogs of numbers of marked shifted tableaux. These coefficients exhibit many parallel properties to the Kostka-Foulkes polynomials.
The shifted Plancherel measure is a natural probability measure on strict partitions. We prove a polynomiality property for the averages of the shifted Plancherel measure. As an application, we give alternative proofs of some content evaluation formulas, obtained by Han and Xiong very recently. Our main tool is factorial Schur $Q$-functions.
We introduce a new operation on skew diagrams called composition of transpositions, and use it and a Jacobi-Trudi style formula to derive equalities on skew Schur Q-functions whose indexing shifted skew diagram is an ordinary skew diagram. When this skew diagram is a ribbon, we conjecture necessary and sufficient conditions for equality of ribbon Schur Q-functions. Moreover, we determine all relations between ribbon Schur Q-functions; show they supply a Z-basis for skew Schur Q-functions; assert their irreducibility; and show that the non-commutative analogue of ribbon Schur Q-functions is the…
Based on the shifted Schensted correspondence and the shifted Knuth equivalence, a shifted analog of the Poirier-Reutenauer algebra as a higher lift of Schur's P-functions and a right coideal subalgebra of the Poirier-Reutenauer algebra is constructed. Its close relations with the peak subalgebra and the Stembridge algebra of peak functions are also uncovered.
We describe generating functions for several important families of classical symmetric functions and shifted Schur functions. The approach is originated from vertex operator realization of symmetric functions and offers a unified method to treat various families of symmetric functions and their shifted analogues.
Recently, Kim and Oh expressed the Selberg integral in terms of the number of Young books which are a generalization of standard Young tableaux of shifted staircase shape. In this paper the generating function for Young books according to major index statistic is considered. It is shown that this generating function can be written as a Jackson integral which gives a new $q$-Selberg integral. It is also shown that the new $q$-Selberg integral has an expression in terms of Schur functions.
We give a combinatorial proof of a natural generalization of the Murnaghan-Nakayama rule to loop Schur functions. We also define shifted loop Schur functions and prove that they satisfy a similar relation.
We show that the shifted rank, or srank, of any partition $λ$ with distinct parts equals the lowest degree of the terms appearing in the expansion of Schur's $Q_λ$ function in terms of power sum symmetric functions. This gives an affirmative answer to a conjecture of Clifford. As pointed out by Clifford, the notion of the srank can be naturally extended to a skew partition $λ/μ$ as the minimum number of bars among the corresponding skew bar tableaux. While the srank conjecture is not valid for skew partitions, we give an algorithm to compute the srank.
We use intermediate symplectic characters to give a proof and variations of Hopkins' conjecture, now proved by Hopkins and Lai, on the number of shifted plane partitions of shifted double staircase shape with bounded entries. In fact, we prove some character identities involving intermediate symplectic characters, and find generating functions for such shifted plane partitions. The key ingredients of the proof are a bialternant formula for intermediate symplectic characters, which interpolates between those for Schur functions and symplectic characters, and the Ishikawa-Wakayama minor-summatio…
We introduce coplactic raising and lowering operators $E'_i$, $F'_i$, $E_i$, and $F_i$ on shifted skew semistandard tableaux. We show that the primed operators and unprimed operators each independently form type A Kashiwara crystals (but not Stembridge crystals) on the same underlying set and with the same weight functions. When taken together, the result is a new kind of `doubled crystal' structure that recovers the combinatorics of type B Schubert calculus: the highest-weight elements of our crystals are precisely the shifted Littlewood-Richardson tableaux, and their generating functions are…
We introduce interpolation analogues of Schur Q-functions - the multiparameter Schur Q-functions. We obtain for them several results: a combinatorial formula, generating functions for one-row and two-rows functions, vanishing and characterization properties, a Pieri-type formula, a Nimmo-type formula (a relation of two Pfaffians), a Giambelli-Schur-type Pfaffian formula, a determinantal formula for the transition coefficients between multiparameter Schur Q-functions with different parameters. We write an explicit Pfaffian expression for the dimension of skew shifted Young diagram. This paper i…
Recently Okada defined algebraically ninth variation skew Q-functions, in parallel to Macdonald's ninth variation skew Schur functions. Here we introduce a skew shifted tableaux definition of these ninth variation skew Q-functions, and prove by means of a non-intersecting lattice path model a Pfaffian outside decomposition result in the form of a ninth variation version of Hamel's Pfaffian outside decomposition identity. As corollaries to this we derive Pfaffian identities generalizing those of Josefiak-Pragacz, Nimmo, and most recently Okada. As a preamble to this we present a parallel develo…
We consider families of quasisymmetric functions with the property that if a symmetric function $f$ is a positive sum of functions in one of these families, then f is necessarily a positive sum of Schur functions. Furthermore, in each of the families studied, we give a combinatorial description of the Schur coefficients of $f$. We organize six such families into a poset, where functions in higher families in the poset are always positive integer sums of functions in each of the lower families. This poset includes the Schur functions, the quasisymmetric Schur functions, the fundamental quasisym…
We establish an isomorphism between the center of the Heisenberg category defined by Khovanov and the algebra $Λ^*$ of shifted symmetric functions defined by Okounkov-Olshanski. We give a graphical description of the shifted power and Schur bases of $Λ^*$ as elements of the center, and describe the curl generators of the center in the language of shifted symmetric functions. This latter description makes use of the transition and co-transition measures of Kerov and the noncommutative probability spaces of Biane.
We introduce a generalization of the Schur measure. And we give a combinatorial interpretation to this generalized measure and prove that a scaling limit for this measure is given by the Tracy-Widom distribution.
We introduce a new paradigm for proving the Schur $P$-positivity. Generalizing dual equivalence, we give an axiomatic definition for a family of involutions on a set of objects to be a queer dual equivalence, and we prove whenever such a family exists, the fundamental quasisymmetric generating function is Schur $P$-positive. In contrast with shifted dual equivalence, the queer dual equivalence involutions restrict to a dual equivalence when the queer involution is omitted. We highlight the difference between these two generalization with a new application to the product of Schur $P$-functions.
In this paper, we study shifted Schur functions $S_μ^\star$, as well as a new family of shifted symmetric functions $\mathfrak{K}_μ$ linked to Kostka numbers. We prove that both are polynomials in multi-rectangular coordinates, with nonnegative coefficients when written in terms of falling factorials. We then propose a conjectural generalization to the Jack setting. This conjecture is a lifting of Knop and Sahi's positivity result for usual Jack polynomials and resembles recent conjectures of Lassalle. We prove our conjecture for one-part partitions.
We introduce coplactic raising and lowering operators $E'_i$, $F'_i$, $E_i$, and $F_i$ on shifted skew semistandard tableaux. We show that the primed operators and unprimed operators each independently form type A Kashiwara crystals (but not Stembridge crystals) on the same underlying set and with the same weight functions. When taken together, the result is a new kind of `doubled crystal' structure that recovers the combinatorics of type B Schubert calculus: the highest-weight elements of our crystals are precisely the shifted Littlewood-Richardson tableaux, and their generating functions are…
I present a set of remarks related to joint works \cite{paper1},\cite{paper2},\cite{paper3},\cite{MMNO}. These are remarks about polynomials solutions and vertex operators, eigenproblem for polynomials and a remark related to the the conjecture of Alexandrov and Mironov, Morozov about the ratios of the projective Schur functions. New results on the bilinear relations between characters of the symmetric and of the Sergeev group and on bilinear relations between skew Schur and projective Schur functions and also between shifted Schur and projective Schur functions are added. Certain new matrix m…
We begin by deriving an action of the 0-Hecke algebra on standard reverse composition tableaux and use it to discover 0-Hecke modules whose quasisymmetric characteristics are the natural refinements of Schur functions known as quasisymmetric Schur functions. Furthermore, we classify combinatorially which of these 0-Hecke modules are indecomposable. From here, we establish that the natural equivalence relation arising from our 0-Hecke action has equivalence classes that are isomorphic to subintervals of the weak Bruhat order on the symmetric group. Focussing on the equivalence classes containin…
The involution Stanley symmetric functions $\hat{F}_y$ are the stable limits of the analogues of Schubert polynomials for the orbits of the orthogonal group in the flag variety. These symmetric functions are also generating functions for involution words, and are indexed by the involutions in the symmetric group. By construction each $\hat{F}_y$ is a sum of Stanley symmetric functions and therefore Schur positive. We prove the stronger fact that these power series are Schur $P$-positive. We give an algorithm to efficiently compute the decomposition of $\hat{F}_y$ into Schur $P$-summands, and p…
We formulate a theory of invariants for the spin symmetric group in some suitable modules which involve the polynomial and exterior algebras. We solve the corresponding graded multiplicity problem in terms of specializations of the Schur Q-functions and a shifted q-hook formula. In addition, we provide a bijective proof for a formula of the principal specialization of the Schur Q-functions.
