A Macdonald vertex operator and standard tableaux statistics for the two-column \((q,t)\)-Kosta coefficients (Q1271414)

Summary: The two parameter family of coefficients \(K_{\lambda\mu}(q, t)\) introduced by Macdonald are conjectured to \((q,t)\) count the standard tableaux of shape \(\lambda\). If this conjecture is correct, then there exist statistics \(a_\mu(T)\) and \(b_\mu(T)\) such that the family of symmetric functions \(H_\mu[X; q,t]= \sum_\lambda K_{\lambda\mu}(q, t)s_\lambda[X]\) are generating functions for the standard tableaux of size \(|\mu|\) in the sense that \(H_\mu[X; q,t]= \sum_T q^{a_\mu(T)} t^{b_\mu(T)} s_{\lambda(T)}[X]\) where the sum is over standard tableaux of size \(|\mu|\). We give a formula for a symmetric function operator \(H^{qt}_2\) with the property that \(H^{qt}_2 H_{(2^a1^b)}[X; q,t]= H_{(2^{a+1}1^b)}[X; q,t]\). This operator has a combinatorial action on the Schur function basis. We use this Schur function to show by induction that \(H_{(2^a1^b)}[X; q,t]\) is the generating function for standard tableaux of size \(2a+b\) (and hence that \(K_{\lambda(2^a1^b)}(q, t)\) is a polynomial with nonnegative integer coefficients). The inductive proof gives an algorithm for `building' the standard tableaux of size \(n+2\) from the standard tableaux of size \(n\) and divides the standard tableaux into classes that are generalizations of the catabolism type. We show that reversing this construction gives the statistics \(a_\mu(T)\) and \(b_\mu(T)\) when \(\mu\) is of the form \((2^a1^b)\) and that the statistics prove conjectures about the relationship between adjacent rows of the \((q,t)\)-Kostka matrix that were suggested by Lynne Butler.