Character polynomials, their \(q\)-analogs and the Kronecker product. (Q2380321)

Let \(S_n\) denote the symmetric group of degree \(n\in\mathbb N\). Given partitions \(\lambda\) and \(\alpha\) of \(n\), let \(\chi^\lambda_\alpha\) denote the value of the irreducible character of \(S_n\) canonically labelled by \(\lambda\) on elements of cycle type \(\alpha\). The article under review gives new formulae for a family of polynomials that can be used to compute the \(\chi^\lambda_\alpha\). Given \(k\), \(n\in\mathbb N\) with \(k\leq n\) and a partition \(\mu\) of \(k\), the `character polynomial' \(q_\mu(x_1,\dots,x_n)\) is the unique polynomial in \(\mathbb Q[x_1,\dots,x_n]\) such that \[ \chi^{(n-k,\mu)}_{(1^{a_1}2^{a_2}\dots n^{a_n})}=q_\mu(a_1,a_2,\dots,a_n). \] For example, it is well known that \(\chi^{(n-1,1)}_{(1^{a_1}2^{a_2}\dots n^{a_n})}=a_1-1\), and so \(q_{(1)}(x_1,\dots,x_n)=x_1-1\). For another example, take the permutation character \(\pi\) of \(S_n\) acting on \(2\)-subsets. It is clear that the value of \(\pi\) on an element of cycle type \((1^{a_1}2^{a_2}\dots n^{a_n})\) is \(\binom{a_1}{2}+a_2\). Since \(\pi=\chi^{(n)}+\chi^{(n-1,1)}+\chi^{(n-2,2)}\) it follows that \[ q_{(n-2,2)}(x_1,x_2,\dots,x_n)=\binom{x_1}{2}-x_1+x_2. \] A generalization of this argument, which goes back to \textit{W. Specht}, [Math. Z. 73, 312-329 (1960; Zbl 0096.01902)], shows that \(q_\mu\) depends only on its first \(k\) variables. This fact also follows from the authors' main result, which gives a remarkable explicit formula for the character polynomials. To state it, we need the `umbral' operator \(\downarrow\) defined by \[ \downarrow\!(x_1^{a_1}\dots x_m^{a_m})=(x_1)_{a_1}\dots (x_m)_{a_m} \] where \((x)_a=x(x-1)\cdots (x-a+1)\). Their formula for \(q_\mu\) is \[ q_\mu(x_1,\dots,x_n)=\;\downarrow\!\sum_{\alpha\vdash k}\frac{\chi^\mu_\alpha}{z_\alpha}\prod_{i=1}^k (ix_i-1)^{a_i} \] where \(z_{(1^{a_1}2^{a_2}\dots n^{a_n})}=1^{a_1}2^{a_2}\cdots n^{a_n}a_1!a_2!\cdots a_k!\). The proof of this result uses the Frobenius formula for \(\chi^\lambda_\alpha\) and plethystic substitutions. In Section 5 of the paper the result is generalized to give character polynomials for the irreducible characters of the Hecke algebras \(\mathcal H_n(q)\). The paper also gives a number of results relating character polynomials to the Kronecker product of symmetric functions (which is reviewed in its Section 3). It ends with several interesting applications, including Corollary~6.2, which states that if \(k\), \(n\in\mathbb N\) satisfy \(n\geq 2k\), then the number of permutations \(\sigma\in S_n\) with longest increasing subsequence \(\sigma_1<\sigma_2<\cdots<\sigma_{n-k}=n\) is \[ \sum_{r=0}^k\binom{k}{r}(-1)^rn(n-1)\cdots (n-k+r+1). \] The authors say that `Interestingly, we found no elementary combinatorial proof of this simple identity.'