A combinatorial setting for questions in Kazhdan-Lusztig theory (Q752830)

Combinatorial methods are developed around a given Coxeter group (W,S) which allow explicit structural information on the Kazhdan-Lusztig polynomials \(P_{x,y}\), x,y\(\in W\). For a fixed reduced expression \(y=s_ 1s_ 2s_ 3...s_ k\) in W the author associates with the sequence \(s=(s_ 1,...,s_ k)\) a set \({\mathcal S}\) of subexpressions \(\sigma =(\sigma_ 0,\sigma_ 1,...,\sigma_ k)\) with \(\sigma_ 0=id\) and \(\sigma_ j\in \{\sigma_{j-1},\sigma_{j-1}s_ j\}\), \(j=1,...,k\) and writes \(\pi (\sigma)=\sigma_ k\). The defect d(\(\sigma\)) of \(\sigma\) is the number of indices j with \(\sigma_{j-1}s_ j<\sigma_{j-1}\). Recall that the Hecke algebra of (W,S) is the free \({\mathbb{Z}}[q^{1/2},q^{-1/2}]\)-module \({\mathcal H}\) spanned by \(T_ w\), \(w\in W\) such that \[ T_ wT_ s=T_{ws},\quad if\quad \ell (ws)>\ell (w),\text{ and } =qT_{ws}+(q-1)T_ w\quad otherwise. \] Each \(T_ w\) is invertible. On \({\mathcal H}\) there is an involution \({}^-\) defined by \(q^{1/2}\mapsto q^{-1/2}\), \(T_ w\mapsto (T_{w^{-1}})^{-1}\). There are other bases \(C_ w\) and \(C_ w'\) of \({\mathcal H}\) which are used in the discourse. The author succeeds in giving a description of the algebra \({\mathcal H}^ 0\) of \({}^-\)-fixed points in terms of generators \(\{C_ s|\) \(s\in S\}\) and relations between them. For a subset \({\mathcal L}\) of \({\mathcal S}\) he defines elements \(P_ x({\mathcal L})=\sum_{\sigma \in {\mathcal L},\pi (\sigma)=x}q^{d(\sigma)}\) and \(h({\mathcal L})=q^{-\ell (y)/2}\sum_{\sigma \in {\mathcal L}}q^{d(\sigma)}T_{\pi (s)}=q^{-\ell (y)/2}\sum_{x<y}P_ x({\mathcal L})T_ x.\) He determines which of these are in \({\mathcal H}^ 0\). A subset \({\mathcal E}\) is admissible if it contains id, \(s,s_ 1s_ 2,...,s_ 1s_ 2...s_ k\), is invariant under \((\sigma_ 0,...,\sigma_ k)\mapsto (\sigma_ 0,...,\sigma_{k-1},\sigma_{k-1}s_ k)\), and satisfies h(\({\mathcal E})\in {\mathcal H}^ 0\). The author calls a \(y\in W\) good if for any minimal admissible set \({\mathcal E}_{\min}\) we have h(\({\mathcal E}_{\min})=C_ y'\). If (W,S) is the Weyl group of a Kac-Moody Lie algebra then every element of W is good. (Perhaps this holds for all Coxeter groups!) The authors gives an algorithm for the computation of the Kazhdan-Lusztig polynomials \(P_{x,y}\) for \(x\leq y\) and y good. Furthermore, he proves the following theorem: If the coefficients of the Kazhdan-Lusztig polynomial \(P_{x,z}\) are nonnegative for all \(x\leq z\leq y\) then y is good and \(P_{x,y}=P_ x({\mathcal E}_{\min})\) where \({\mathcal E}_{\min}\) is any admissible set.