Some natural bigraded \(S_ n\)-modules and \(q,t\)-Kostka coefficients (Q1918901)

Summary: We construct for each \(\mu\vdash n\) a bigraded \(S_n\)-module \({\mathbf H}_\mu\) and conjecture that its Frobenius characteristic \(C_{\mu}(x; q, t)\) yields the Macdonald coefficients \(K_{\lambda\mu}(q, t)\). To be precise, we conjecture that the expansion of \(C_{\mu}(x; q, t)\) in terms of the Schur basis yields coefficients \(C_{\lambda \mu}(q, t)\) which are related to the \(K_{\lambda\mu}(q, t)\) by the identity \(C_{\lambda\mu}(q, t)= K_{\lambda\mu}(q, 1/t) t^{n(\mu)}\). The validity of this would give a representation theoretical setting for the Macdonald basis \(\{P_\mu(x; q, t)\}_\mu\) and establish the Macdonald conjecture that the \(K_{\lambda\mu}(q, t)\) are polynomials with positive integer coefficients. The space \({\mathbf H}_\mu\) is defined as the linear span of derivatives of a certain bihomogeneous polynomial \(\Delta_\mu(x, y)\) in the variables \(x_1,x_2,\dots, x_n\), \(y_1, y_2,\dots, y_n\). On the validity of our conjecture \({\mathbf H}_\mu\) would necessarily have \(n!\) dimension. We refer to the latter assertion as the \(n!\)-conjecture. Several equivalent forms of this conjecture will be discussed here together with some of their consequences. In particular, we derive that the polynomials \(C_{\lambda\mu}(q, t)\) have a number of basic properties in common with the coefficients \(\widetilde{K}_{\lambda\mu}(q, t)= K_{\lambda\mu} (q, 1/t)t^{n(\mu)}\). For instance, we show that \(C_{\lambda\mu}(0, t)= \widetilde{K}_{\lambda\mu}(0, t)\), \(C_{\lambda\mu}(q, 0)= \widetilde{K}_{\lambda\mu}(q, 0)\) and show that on the \(n!\) conjecture we must also have the equalities \(C_{\lambda\mu}(1,t)= \widetilde{K}_{\lambda\mu}(1,t)\) and \(C_{\lambda\mu}(q, 1)= \widetilde{K}_{\lambda\mu}(q, 1)\). The conjectured equality \(C_{\lambda\mu}(q, t)= K_{\lambda\mu}(q, 1/t)t^{n(\mu)}\) will be shown here to hold true when \(\lambda\) or \(\mu\) is a hook. It has also been shown when \(\mu\) is a 2-row or 2-column partition and when \(\mu\) is an augmented hook.