Descending chains of immanants (Q1183213)

If \(c\) is a complex-valued function whose domain is the symmetric group \(S_ N\), the generalized matrix function \(d_ c\) is defined by \(d_ c(A)=\Sigma_{\sigma\in S_ N}c(\sigma)\cdot\Pi_{t=1}^ N a_{t\sigma(t)}\) for each \(N\times N\) matrix \(A\). In case that \(c(e)\neq 0\), where \(e\) is the identity in \(S_ N\), \([c(e)]^{-1}d_ c\) is denoted by \(\overline d_ c\). A sequence \(\{\alpha_ 1,\alpha_ 2,...,\alpha_ s\}\) of positive integers with \(\alpha_ 1\geq \alpha_ 2 \geq ... \geq \alpha_ s\) is said to be a partition of \(N\), denoted by \(\alpha \mapsto N\), if \(\alpha_ 1+\alpha_ 2+...+\alpha_ s=N\). The irreducible character of \(S_ N\) associated with \(\alpha\mapsto N\), is denoted by \(\chi_ \alpha\). If \(c=\chi_ \alpha\) for some \(\alpha\mapsto N\), \(d_{\chi_ \alpha}\) is called an immanant; \(d_ \alpha\) is used in place of \(d_{\chi_ \alpha}\). For any partition \(\alpha=\{\alpha_ 1,...,\alpha_ s\}\) of \(N\) of which is not \(\{1^ N\}\), if \(k\) is the smallest positive integer such that \(\alpha_ k>\alpha_{k+1}\) (\(\alpha_{s+1}=0\) for convenience), \(\alpha'\) is defined to be the partition \(\{\alpha_ 1-1,\alpha_ 2-1,...,\alpha_ k-1,\alpha_{k+1},...,\alpha_ N,1^ k\}\). It is established that \(\overline d_ \alpha(A)\geq \overline d_{\alpha'}(A)\) for any positive semidefinite \(N\times N\) Hermitian matrix \(A\): thus \(\overline d_ \alpha(A)\geq \overline d_{\alpha'}(A)\geq \overline d_{\alpha''}(A)\geq ...\overline d_{\{1^ N\}}(A)=det A\). For partitions \(\alpha,\beta\) of \(N\) one writes \(\alpha\leq\beta\) if \(\overline d_ \alpha(A)\leq\overline d_ \beta(A)\) for every positive semidefinite Hermitian matrix \(A\). Thus \(\alpha\geq \alpha' \geq \alpha'' \geq...\geq \{1^ N\}\). In any event, \(\leq\) is a partial ordering on the partitions of \(N\).