Immanant Inequalities and Partition Node Diagrams (Q4024914)

ff \(c\) is an element of the group algebra \(\mathbb{C} S_ n\) the generalized matrix function \(d_ c\) is defined by \(d_ c(A)=\sum_{\sigma\in S_ n}c(\sigma)\prod^ n_{t=1}a_{t\sigma(t)}\), for each \(n\times n\) matrix \(A=(a_{ij})\) and \(\overline d_ c=(c(e))^{-1}d_ c\), when \(c(e)\neq 0\), where \(e\) is the identity of \(S_ n\). If \(\alpha\) is a nonincreasing partition of \(n\), \(d_ \alpha\) will denote the immanant \(d_{\lambda_ \alpha}\), where \(\lambda_ \alpha\) is the associated simple character of \(S_ n\). The partial ordering \(\leq\) on the set of partitions is definded by \(\alpha\leq\beta\) when \(\overline d_ \alpha(A)\leq\overline d_ \beta(A)\) for all \(A\in{\mathcal H}_ n\), the \(n\times n\) positive semidefinite Hermitian matrices. The principal result of this paper is: Theorem 6. Suppose that \(\alpha=\{\alpha_ 1,\dots,\alpha_ s,\dots,\alpha_ t\}\) is a partition of \(n\) with \(\alpha_ s>\max\{\alpha_{s+1},1\}\) and let \(\alpha'=\{\alpha_ 1,\dots,\alpha_{s-1},\alpha_{s+1},\dots,\alpha_ t,1\}\). Then \(\alpha'\leq\alpha\). Equivalently, \(\overline d_{\alpha'}(A)\leq\overline d_ \alpha(A)\) for each \(A\in{\mathcal H}_ n\). This result, together with results of \textit{G. D. James} and \textit{M. W. Liebeck} [Proc. Lond. Math. Soc., III. Ser. 55, 243-265 (1987; Zbl 0657.15006)] implies almost all known immanant inequalities.