Muir's identity -- a supersymmetric approach (Q1903723)

From author's introduction: The present paper deals with the extension to supersymmetric letterplace algebras of an identity of Muir, which is the following property of the minors of a matrix \(M\): \[ \sum_w (- 1)^{\text{length}(w)}\text{det}(M_{w, w})\text{per}(M_{w^c, w^c})= 0, \] where \(w\) runs over the words \(w= i_1 i_2\dots i_k\) with \(1\leq i_1< i_2<\cdots <i_k\leq n\) (including the empty word), \(M_{w, w}\) denotes the submatrix of \(M\) consisting of rows \(i_1,\dots, i_k\) and columns \(j_1,\dots, j_k\), and \(w^c\) denotes the unique increasing word \(j_1,\dots, j_{n- k}\) such that \(\{i_1,\dots, i_k\}\cup \{j_1,\dots, j_{n- k}\}= \{1, 2,\dots, n\}\). No full proof of this identity is given in Muir's original paper, only a few small cases where checked. Most known identities for minors of a matrix can be shown to follow from computations with coproducts in the Hopf algebra structure of the exterior algebra. Once restated in the language of Hopf algebra, identities for minors of a matrix can be easily extended to supersymmetric letterplace algebras. However, Muir's identity seems resistant to such a supersymmetric treatment. Its supersymmetric analogue as well as a clear algebraic proof, have been missing. The present paper gives the extension of Muir's identity to the supersymmetric algebra, as well as a proof of both the classical and the supersymmetric case. The statement of Muir's identity cannot be expressed in terms of the coproduct, and the supersymmetric extension of Muir's identity is not a consequence of any exchange identity [see \textit{F. D. Grosshans}, \textit{G.-C. Rota} and \textit{J. A. Stein}, Invariant theory and superalgebras, Reg. Conf. Ser. Math. 69 (1987; Zbl 0648.15020)]. The proof reduces to direct computations of signs.