On a conjecture about an analogue of Tokuyama's theorem for \(G_2\) (Q2025151)

\textit{T. Tokuyama} [J. Math. Soc. Japan 40, No. 4, 671--685 (1988; Zbl 0639.20022)] expressed the product of the deformed Weyl denominator and a Schur polynomial as a sum over strict Gelfand-Tsetlin patterns. This may be recast using crystal graphs as follows (see [\textit{B. Brubaker} et al., Weyl group multiple Dirichlet series. Type A combinatorial theory. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press (2011; Zbl 1288.11052)], Chapter 5). Let \(\lambda\in \mathfrak{sl}_{r+1}(\mathbb{C})\) be a dominant weight, \(\chi_\lambda\) the character of the associated representation of highest weight \(\lambda\), and \(\rho\) be the Weyl vector. Then Tokuyama's formula is an expression for the product of \(\chi_\lambda\) with the deformed Weyl denominator as a sum over \(\mathcal{B}_{\lambda+\rho}\), the Kashiwara crystal with highest weight \(\lambda+\rho\). There is a substantial history of this formula for other Cartan types, explained in the paper under review. In particular, \textit{H. Friedlander} et al. [J. Algebr. Comb. 41, No. 4, 1089--1102 (2015; Zbl 1316.05128)] conjectured such a formula for the exceptional Lie algebra of type \(G_2\). The paper under review establishes this conjecture using combinatorial methods. The author expresses both sides of the conjectured identity as polynomials in four variables whose coefficients are rational functions, and then shows that these coefficients are equal. A complement to this work is the paper of \textit{S. Leslie} [Sel. Math., New Ser. 25, No. 3, Paper No. 41, 50 p. (2019; Zbl 1491.17005)], which gives a different expression in type \(G_2\) for the character times the deformed Weyl denominator, namely a sum over \(\mathcal{B}_{\lambda+\rho}\) plus a geometric error term coming from finitely many crystals of resonant Mirković-Vilonen polytopes.