Spin representations, powers of 2 and the Glaisher map. (Q1780985)

Let \(\widehat{\mathcal S}_n\) be a central extension of the symmetric group \({\mathcal S}_n\) by a group \(\langle z\rangle\) of order \(2\). An ordinary character \(\chi\) of \(\widehat{\mathcal S}_n\) for which \(\chi(z)=-1\) is called a spin character; that is, a character not obtained from a character of \({\mathcal S}_n\). In this article, the minimal valuations at \(2\) of the values of irreducible spin characters on conjugacy classes of elements of \(\widehat{\mathcal S}_n\) of odd order are considered. Let \({\mathcal D}(n)\) denote the set of partitions of \(n\) into pairwise distinct parts. The sign of \(\lambda\in{\mathcal D}(n)\) is defined to be \((-1)^{e(\lambda)}\), where \(e(\lambda)\) is the number of even parts of \(\lambda\). According to the sign, we let \({\mathcal D}(n)={\mathcal D}^+(n)\sqcup{\mathcal D}^-(n)\). Let \({\mathcal O}(n)\) denote the set of partitions of \(n\) into odd parts. Given \(\alpha\in{\mathcal O}(n)\) and \(i\) odd, we let \(m_i(\alpha)\) denote the number of parts of \(\alpha\) equal to \(i\). Write \(m_i(\alpha)=\sum_j2^{a_{i,j}(\alpha)}\) as a sum of distinct powers of \(2\). Let the Glaisher bijection be defined by \({\mathcal O}(n)\to{\mathcal D}(n)\), \(\alpha\mapsto G(\alpha):=(2^{a_{i,j}(\alpha)}\cdot i)_{i,j}\), the parts in \(G(\alpha)\) ordered descendingly. For instance, if \(\beta:=(5^3,3,1^5)\), then \(G(\beta)=(2\cdot 5,\,1\cdot 5,\,4\cdot 1,\,1\cdot 3,\,1\cdot 1)\). Let \(k_\alpha\) be the difference of the numbers of parts of \(\alpha\) and \(G(\alpha)\). For instance, \(k_\beta=-2\). The sign of \(G(\alpha)\) is \((-1)^{k_\alpha}\). Let \(\varepsilon\) denote the sign character of \(\widehat{\mathcal S}_n\), obtained from the sign character of \({\mathcal S}_n\). An irreducible spin character \(\chi\) of \(\widehat{\mathcal S}_n\) is called self-associate if \(\varepsilon\cdot\chi=\chi\). There is a parametrisation \(\lambda\mapsto\langle\lambda\rangle\) of the self-associate irreducible spin characters of \(\widehat{\mathcal S}_n\), where \(\lambda\in{\mathcal D}^+(n)\); and there is a parametrization \(\lambda\mapsto(\langle\lambda\rangle,\varepsilon\cdot\langle\lambda\rangle)\) of the pairs of non-self-associate irreducible spin characters of \(\widehat{\mathcal S}_n\), where \(\lambda\in{\mathcal D}^-(n)\). The conjugacy classes of elements of odd order of \(\widehat{\mathcal S}_n\) are parametrised via \(\alpha\mapsto x_\alpha^{\widehat{\mathcal S}_n}\), where \(\alpha\in{\mathcal O}(n)\), and where \(x_\alpha\) is an element of odd order in \(\widehat{\mathcal S}_n\) that is mapped to an element of cycle type \(\alpha\) in \({\mathcal S}_n\). Suppose given \(\alpha\in{\mathcal O}(n)\). It has previously been shown by the authors that \(\min_{\lambda\in{\mathcal D}(n)}\text{v}_2(\langle\lambda\rangle(x_\alpha))=\lfloor k_\alpha/2\rfloor\). Here, it is shown that this minimum is attained at \(\lambda=G(\alpha)\). Moreover, if \(G(\alpha)\in{\mathcal D}^-(n)\), this minimum is only attained at \(\lambda\in\{G(\alpha),\varepsilon\cdot G(\alpha)\}\). The authors conjecture that if \(G(\alpha)\in{\mathcal D}^+(\alpha)\), then this minimum is only attained at \(\lambda=G(\alpha)\) or at certain elements of \({\mathcal D}^-(\alpha)\).