Matrix units for centralizer algebras (Q1183308)

The authors compute the matrix units for Brauer's centralizer algebras and Hecke algebras of type A. As shown in \textit{H. Weyl}'s celebrated book ``The classical groups'' (1939; Zbl 0020.20601), the decomposition of the tensor products of the natural representation of \(GL(n)\) led to the determination of its irreducible representations; in turn, this decomposition was determined by decomposing the group algebras of the symmetric groups, since the algebra of centralizers of the \(n\)-tensor product representation is a quotient of the group algebra of \(S_{n}\). In the cases of orthogonal and symplectic groups, Brauer defined algebras which project onto the centralizers of tensor products of the natural representations of that groups. Brauer's algebras are not semisimple in general, and this approach to the representations of the orthogonal and symplectic groups turned out to be complicated. However, in this paper a method to compute a complete set of matrix units for Brauer's algebras when they are semisimple is given. This method can be adapted in the general case to compute their quotients which appear as centralizers in the tensor products of natural representations of orthogonal and symplectic groups; and also for Hecke algebras, and finally to tensor products of representations of quantum groups. See also \textit{H. Wenzl} [Ann. Math., II. Ser. 128, 173-193 (1988; Zbl 0656.20040)].