Spherical functions and a \(q\)-analogue of Kostant's weight multiplicity formula (Q1171119)

Let \(L\) be a semisimple complex Lie algebra with root system \(R\) and let \(B\) be a system of positive roots of \(R\). Following \textit{G. Lusztig} [Astérisque 101-102, 208--229 (1983; Zbl 0561.22013)], the \(q\)-analogue of Kostant's partition function is defined by \(P(\lambda, q)=\sum q^{| f|}\), where \(f\) runs over all mappings \(f: B\to\mathbb N\cup\{0\}\) such that \(\sum_{\alpha\in B} f(\alpha)\alpha=\lambda\), and where \(| f|=\sum_{\alpha\in B} f(\alpha)\). If \(\lambda\) and \(\mu\) are integral weights, let \[ K_{\lambda,\mu}(q)=\sum\text{sgn}(w)P(w(\lambda+\rho)-w(\mu+\rho),q) \] where the summation is over the elements \(w\) of the Weyl group and where \(\rho=\tfrac 12\sum_{\alpha\in B} \alpha\). The author proves a conjecture of Lusztig which expresses \(K_{\lambda,\mu}(q)\) with \(\lambda,\mu\) dominant and \(\mu\leq \lambda\), in terms of certain Kazhdan-Lusztig polynomials.