A combinatorial Hopf algebra for the boson normal ordering problem (Q1708560)

The Heisenberg algebra \(\mathcal{H}\) is generated by two elements \(a\) and \(a^{\dagger}\), with the relation \([a,a^{\dagger}] = 1\). Using this commutation relation, any element of \(\mathcal{H}\) can be written in the ``normal form'' \(\sum c_{i,j} (a^{\dagger})^{i}a^{j}\), where the \(c_{ij}\) are some constants. Specifically, when finding the normal form of the element \((a^{\dagger}a)^{n}\), the coefficients that arise are Stirling numbers. Since understanding \(\mathcal{H}\) is important for quantum field theory, it is reasonable to look for other combinatorial interpretations for the coefficients of the normal form of certain elements of \(\mathcal{H}\). \textit{P. Blasiak} et al. [Adv. Theor. Math. Phys. 14, No. 4, 1209--1243 (2010; Zbl 1229.81349)] have found one such interpretation for the coefficients of the normal form of the elements \(((a^{\dagger})^{r}a^{s})^{n}\). These combinatorial objects, called ``bugs'', afford a Hopf algebra structure. The present paper builds upon this work by examining a variant of bugs, called \(B\)-diagrams, which have a similarly rich algebraic structure. The objects, called \(B\)-diagrams, can be understood as labeled graphs with a particular structure. Several examples are given to elucidate the definitions, and then the bulk of the paper is devoted to proving the existence of a similar Hopf algebra structure on the space \(\mathcal{B}\) spanned by the set of \(B\)-diagrams. The new Hopf algebra \(\mathcal{B}\) is a subquotient of the Fusion algebra, which specializes to the Heisenberg algebra. In addition, \(\mathcal{B}\) contains the known algebras WSym and BWSym as Hopf subalgebras. The authors conclude with a brief discussion of some ways that the algebra can be used to deduce combinatorial information, which will be explicated in further papers.