The Hopf algebra \(\text{Rep\,} U_q \widehat{\mathfrak g\mathfrak l}_\infty\) (Q1871758)

The authors study the direct limit \(\text{Rep}\,U_q\widehat{\mathfrak {gl}}_{\infty}\) of the Grothendieck groups of the finite-dimen\-sional polynomial representations of the quantum affine algebras \(U_q\widehat{\mathfrak{gl}}_N\) by purely algebraic methods. \(\text{Rep}\,U_q\widehat{\mathfrak{gl}}_{\infty}\) has a natural Hopf algebra structure and decomposes as a tensor product of the Hopf subalgebras \(\text{Rep}_a U_q \widehat{\mathfrak{gl}}_{\infty}\) (\(a\in\mathbb{C}^{\times}/q^{2\mathbb{Z}}\)). In the case \(q=1\) the Hopf algebra \(\text{Rep}_a U_q\widehat{\mathfrak{gl}}_{\infty}\) can be identified with the Hopf algebra \(\Lambda_{\infty}\) of symmetric polynomials in infinitely many variables. Hence \(\text{Rep}_a U_q\widehat{\mathfrak{gl}}_{\infty}\) may be considered as an \(q\)-analogue of \(\Lambda_{\infty}\) and thus it is expected that many of the well-known properties of \(\Lambda_{\infty}\) have interesting \(q\)-analogues for \(\text{Rep}_a U_q\widehat{\mathfrak{gl}}_{\infty}\). The ring of symmetric polynomials \(\Lambda_{\infty}\) can be decomposed as the direct sum of the Grothendieck groups of the finite-dimensional representations of the symmetric groups of finite degree. From this point of view a \(q\)-analogue of \(\Lambda_{\infty}\) may be defined as the direct sum \(\bigoplus_{n\geq 0}\text{Rep}\, \widehat{H}_{q^2,n}\) of the Grothendieck groups of the finite-dimensional representations of the affine Hecke algebras \(\widehat{H}_{q^2,n}\) of GL\(_n\). \textit{I. N. Bernstein} and \textit{A. V. Zelevinsky} [Ann. Sci. Éc. Norm. Supér., IV. Sér. 10, 441--472 (1977; Zbl 0412.22015)] introduced a Hopf algebra structure on \(\bigoplus_{n\geq 0}\text{Rep\,} \widehat{H}_{q^2,n}\) which recently has been described explicitly by \textit{I. Grojnowski} [Affine \(\widehat{sl}_p\) controls the modular representation theory of the symmetric group and related Hecke algebras, preprint, arXiv:math.RT9907129 v1]. If \(q\) is not a root of unity, then the Hopf algebras \(\text{Rep}\,U_q\widehat{\mathfrak{gl}}_{\infty}\) and \(\bigoplus_{n\geq 0} \text{Rep}\, \widehat{H}_{q^2,n}\) are isomorphic via the affine \(q\)-Schur-Weyl duality functor. In this case most of the results on the structure of \(\text{Rep}\, U_q \widehat{\mathfrak{gl}}_{\infty}\) could also be derived from the known results on \(\bigoplus_{n\geq 0}\text{Rep}\, \widehat{H}_{q^2,n}\). Now let us describe the contents of the paper in more detail. In the first section the authors give an overview as well as some motivation, and in the last section the results are summarized in a commutative diagram. Sections 2 to 6 deal exclusively with the generic case. In the second and third section the authors discuss different realizations of quantized enveloping algebras and the isomorphisms between them. In the fourth section they investigate finite-dimensional polynomial representations of \(U_q\widehat{\mathfrak{gl}}_N\) by extending known results from \(U_q\widehat{\mathfrak{sl}}_N\). Moreover, the \(q\)-character homomorphism is introduced, which is the main technical tool of the paper. In particular, the \(q\)-characters of the evaluation modules of \(U_q\widehat{\mathfrak{gl}}_N\) are computed. The fifth section contains the definition of the direct limit \(\text{Rep}~U_q\widehat{\mathfrak{gl}}_{\infty}\) and its Hopf algebra structure. In the sixth section it is shown that the Hopf subalgebra \(\text{Rep}_a~U_q \widehat{\mathfrak{gl}}_{\infty}\) is isomorphic to the integral group algebra \(\mathbb{Z} [\widetilde{\text{SL}}_{\infty}^-]\) of the prounipotent proalgebraic group of all lower triangular double infinite integer valued matrices with one's as diagonal entries. Sections 7 to 9 and Section 11 deal exclusively with the case that \(q\) is specialized to a root of unity. Section 7 contains the definition and basic properties of the restricted integral form \(U_q^{\text{res}} \widehat{\mathfrak{gl}}_N\) of \(U_q\widehat{\mathfrak{gl}}_N\). Let \(\varepsilon^2\) be a root of unity of order \(\ell\) and set \(\varepsilon^*:=\varepsilon^{\ell^2}\). Since the direct limit \(\text{Rep}\, U_\varepsilon^{\text{res}}\widehat{\mathfrak{gl}}_{\infty}\) of the Grothendieck groups \(\text{Rep}\, U_\varepsilon^{\text{res}} \widehat{\mathfrak{gl}}_N\) is different from \(\bigoplus_{n\geq 0} \text{Rep}\, \widehat{H}_{\varepsilon^2,n}\), the authors also discuss the so-called small quantum affine algebra \(U_\varepsilon^{\text{fin}} \widehat{\mathfrak{gl}}_N\), which is a subalgebra of \(U_\varepsilon^{\text{res}} \widehat{\mathfrak{gl}}_N\) with direct limit \(\text{Rep}\, U_\varepsilon^{\text{fin}} \widehat{\mathfrak{gl}}_{\infty}\) isomorphic to \(\bigoplus_{n\geq 0}\text{Rep}\, \widehat{H}_{\varepsilon^2,n}\). Section 8 is devoted to a study of the finite-dimensional polynomial representations of \(U_\varepsilon^{\text{res}} \widehat{\mathfrak{gl}}_N\) and \(U_\varepsilon^{\text{fin}} \widehat{\mathfrak{gl}}_N\) as well as to the \(\varepsilon\)-character homomorphism. In Section 9 the authors consider a ring homomorphism from \(\text{Rep}\, U_{\varepsilon^*}^{\text{res}} \widehat{\mathfrak{gl}}_N\) into \(\text{Rep}\,U_\varepsilon^{\text{res}} \widehat{\mathfrak{gl}}_N\) induced by the quantum Frobenius homomorphism. This enables them to identify \(\text{Rep}\, U_\varepsilon^{\text{fin}}\widehat{\mathfrak{gl}}_N\) with a quotient of \(\text{Rep}\, U_\varepsilon^{\text{res}}\widehat{\mathfrak{gl}}_N\) by the image of the augmentation ideal of \(\text{Rep}\, U_{\varepsilon^*}^{\text{res}} \widehat{\mathfrak{gl}}_N\). In Section 10 the authors give a self-contained introduction to Hall algebras in the case \(q=1\). In the generic case they identify the restricted dual of the Hopf algebra \(\text{Rep}_a\, U_q \widehat{\mathfrak{gl}}_{\infty}\) with the Hall algebra associated to the infinite linear quiver. Similarly, in the root of unity case the restricted dual of \(\text{Rep}\, U_\varepsilon^{\text{res}} \widehat{\mathfrak{gl}}_{\infty}\) is isomorphic to the Hall algebra associated to the cyclic quiver with \(\ell\) vertices. Using geometric methods this duality was obtained before by \textit{M. Varagnolo} and \textit{E. Vasserot} at the level of vector spaces in [Duke Math. J. 100, 267--297 (1999; Zbl 0962.17006)]. Finally, in Section 11 it is shown that the Hopf subalgebra \(\text{Rep}_a\, U_\varepsilon^{\text{res}} \widehat{\mathfrak{gl}}_{\infty}\) is isomorphic to the integral group algebra \(\mathbb{Z}[\widetilde{\text{GL}}_\ell^-]\) and that the Hopf subalgebra \(\text{Rep}_a\, U_\varepsilon^{\text{fin}} \widehat{\mathfrak{gl}}_{\infty}\) is isomorphic to the integral group algebra \(\mathbb{Z}[\widetilde{\text{SL}}_\ell^-]\).