A basis for the \(\mathrm{GL}_n\) tensor product algebra (Q2568297)

Let \(n,k,l\) be positive integers and \(M_{n,(k+l)}\) be the space of complex \(n\times (k+l)\) matrices. Let \(U_n\) denote the group of all upper triangular \(n\times n\) matrices with \(1\)'s on the diagonal. The group \(\mathrm{GL}_n\) acts on \(M_{n,(k+l)}\) by multiplication on the left and \(\mathrm{GL}_k\times \mathrm{GL}_l\) acts on \(M_{n,(k+l)}\) by multiplication on the right. Then the algebra \(P(M_{n,(k+l)})^{U_k\times U_l\times U_n}\) of polynomials on \(M_{n,(k+l)}\), invariant under the restriction of the action of \(\mathrm{GL}_k\times \mathrm{GL}_l\times \mathrm{GL}_n\) to \(U_k\times U_l\times U_n\), is called the \textit{\(\mathrm{GL}_n\) tensor product algebra}. In some sense this algebra encapsulates the decomposition of the tensor product of arbitrary irreducible representations of \(\mathrm{GL}_n\). In the paper under review the authors construct an explicit basis for the \(\mathrm{GL}_n\) tensor product algebra. The construction relates directly to the combinatorial description of Littlewood-Richardson coefficients in terms of the Littlewood-Richardson tableaux. The paper finishes with a detailed \(\mathrm{SL}_4\) example.