Specht modules labelled by hook bipartitions. I (Q1794082)

This paper is part of the industry which has grown up in recent years of studying \textit{KLR algebras} (also called \textit{quiver Hecke algebras}). These algebras are significant because of a theorem of \textit{J. Brundan} and \textit{A. Kleshchev} [Invent. Math. 178, No. 3, 451--484 (2009; Zbl 1201.20004)] that the group algebra of the symmetric group, and more generally certain cyclotomic Hecke algebras, are isomorphic to quiver Hecke algebras. This yields a new approach to the study of these algebras. \textit{J. Brundan} et al. [J. Reine Angew. Math. 655, 61--87 (2011; Zbl 1244.20003)] (and later \textit{A. S. Kleshchev} et al. [Proc. Lond. Math. Soc. (3) 105, No. 6, 1245--1289 (2012; Zbl 1268.20007)]) have introduced and studied Specht modules for these KLR algebras. The aim of the paper under review is to study a particular class of Specht modules for cyclotomic KLR algebras of level \(2\), labelled by \textit{hook bipartitions}; these are bipartitions in which the first component has only one row, and the second has only one column. Assuming the underlying quantum characteristic is not \(2\), the author gives quite a complete picture of these Specht modules, finding the entire submodule structure and the homomorphisms between the modules. There is a remarkable similarity with \textit{M. H. Peel}'s study of Specht modules [Glasg. Math. J. 12, 136--149 (1971; Zbl 0235.20012)] (for the symmetric group in odd characteristic) labelled by hook partitions, though here the situation is more complicated, because there are Specht modules for hook bipartitions with composition length \(4\). In the sequel to this paper [J. Pure Appl. Algebra 224, No. 4, Article ID 106204, 38 p. (2020; Zbl 1443.20002)], the author finds the labels for the composition factors of all these Specht modules. The paper is long, with a lot of calculation, but actually the exposition is very good; the background is well set out, and much of this paper could be read as an introduction to the combinatorial study of KLR algebras and their Specht modules.