Symmetry classes of functions (Q1346117)

Let \(V_ n\) be the vector space of all functions \(f: A^ n\to \mathbb{Q}\) over the field of rational numbers \(\mathbb{Q}\), where \(A\) is an arbitrary set. A subspace of \(V_ n\) which is invariant under all permutions of the set of variables \(\{x_ 1,\dots, x_ n\}\) is said to be a symmetry class. A minimal non-empty symmetry class of functions is said to be a strict symmetry class. Let \(\Sigma_ n\) be the group of permutations of the set \(S= \{1,\dots,n\}\), and let \(\mathbb{Q}[\Sigma_ n]\) be the group algebra of \(\Sigma_ n\) with rational coefficients. The problem of characterizing strict symmetry classes of functions can be shown to be equivalent to the problem of characterizing the isotypical components (two-sided ideals) of \(\mathbb{Q}[\Sigma_ n]\). In this paper a new equational characterization of the isotypical components of \(\mathbb{Q}[\Sigma_ n]\) is given. This is done using a correspondence between the strict symmetry classes and the shape of partitions of \(S\) (ordered sequence of block sizes). For \(n= 3\), e.g., the shape \((1,1,1)\) yields the class of all skew-symmetric functions defined by \[ \begin{aligned} f(x_ 1,x_ 2,x_ 3) &+ f(x_ 2, x_ 1,x_ 3)= 0,\\ f(x_ 1,x_ 2,x_ 3)& + f(x_ 3, x_ 2, x_ 1)=0,\\ f(x_ 1, x_ 2, x_ 3) & + f(x_ 1, x_ 3, x_ 2)= 0.\end{aligned} \] {}.