Schur function analogs for a filtration of the symmetric function space (Q1869759)

Let \(\Lambda\) be the ring of symmetric functions in the variables \(x_1,x_2,\ldots\), with coefficients from \(\mathbb{Q}(q,t)\), and let \(H_{\lambda}[X;q,t]=\sum_{\mu}K_{\mu\lambda}(q,t)s_{\mu}[X]\) be the Macdonald polynomial associated with the partition \(\lambda\) (where \(K_{\mu\lambda}(q,t)\) is the Kostka polynomial and \(s_{\mu}[X]\) is the Schur function). In [\textit{L. Lapointe, A. Lascoux} and \textit{J. Morse}, Duke Math. J. 116, 103-146 (2003; Zbl 1020.05069)] the filtration \(\Lambda_t^{(1)}\subseteq\Lambda_t^{(2)}\subseteq\cdots \subseteq\Lambda_t^{(\infty)}=\Lambda\) has been defined, where \(\Lambda_t^{(k)}\) is spanned by all Hall-Littlewood polynomials \(H_{\lambda}[X;t]\) corresponding to \(k\)-bounded partitions (with \(\lambda_1\leq k\)). Lapointe, Lascoux and Morse constructed a family of symmetric polynomials \(A_{\lambda}^{(k)}[X;t]\), \(\lambda_1\leq k\), which were conjectured to form a basis of \(\Lambda_t^{(k)}\) with the refinement \(H_{\lambda}[X;q,t]=\sum_{\mu}K_{\mu\lambda}^{(k)}(q,t)A_{\mu}^{(k)}[X]\), \(K_{\mu\lambda}^{(k)}(q,t)\in \mathbb{N}[q,t]\), of the Macdonald positivity conjecture for \(k\)-bounded partitions \(\lambda\). The polynomials \(A_{\mu}^{(k)}[X]\) play the role of atoms of \(\Lambda_t^{(k)}\) in sense that they constitute the smallest Schur positive components of \(\Lambda_t^{(k)}\). In the paper under review the authors give a purely algebraic construction of a family \(s_{\lambda}^{(k)}[X;t]\), \(\lambda_1\leq k\), which they call \(k\)-Schur functions. They conjecture that the family \(s_{\lambda}^{(k)}[X;t]\) is identical with the family of atoms and prove some of its properties which were only conjectures for the atoms. In particular, the \(k\)-Schur functions are triangularly related to the Hall-Littlewood basis \(H_{\lambda}[X;t]\), \(\lambda_1\leq k\), and hence form a basis of \(\Lambda_t^{(k)}\). The authors also state a number of conjectures which reveal that \(k\)-Schur functions are in fact the natural analogues of Schur functions for the vector space \(\Lambda_t^{(k)}\).