Toric degeneration of branching algebras (Q1011408)

Let \(G\) be a reductive complex algebraic group and let \(H\) be a reductive subgroup of \(G\). The recent paper by three of the authors [\textit{R. E. Howe, E.-C. Tan} and \textit{J. F. Willenbring}, London Mathematical Society Lecture Note Series 354, 191--231 (2008; Zbl 1176.22012)] started a program to study branching rules of the symmetric pair \((G,H)\) using methods from commutative algebra. Following a construction of Zhelobenko, a naturally defined multi-graded algebra \({\mathfrak A}_{(G,H)}\) was introduced, called the branching algebra for \((G,H)\), which encodes the branching rule from \(G\) to \(H\), i.e., provides a description of the decomposition of any irreducible representation of \(G\) into irreducible representations of \(H\). For classical symmetric pairs the algebra \({\mathfrak A}_{(G,H)}\) has a natural family of subalgebras, depending on integer parameters, and described in terms of classical invariant theory. For a certain range of the parameters, the subalgebras have a particularly simple structure and are called stable branching algebras. In a series of papers by Howe and Lee and by Howe, Tan and Willenbring, these constructions gave a unified conceptual derivation of branching rules in terms of Littlewood-Richardson coefficients and explicit vector space bases of eight out of ten families of classical symmetric pairs were found. In the paper under review the authors show that the stable branching algebras for these eight families are flat deformations of the semigroup algebras of explicitly described lattice cones. One can alternatively say that semigroup algebras of lattice cones are toric degenerations of branching algebras.