A basis for the symplectic group branching algebra (Q665841)

Let \(G\) be a reductive group over the field of complex numbers \(\mathbb C\) and \(H\subset G\) its reductive subgroup. Let us choose maximal unipotent subgroups \(U_G\) and \(U_H\) of \(G\) and \(H\), respectively. We denote by \(U_G^-\) the opposite of \(U_G\), and fix maximal tori \(T_G \subset G\) and \(T_H \subset H\) which are adapted to those maximal unipotent subgroups. The product group \(G \times H\) acts on \(G\) naturally, where \(G\) acts on the left and \(H\) on the right. Then the \(U_G^- \times U_H\)-invariants in the regular function ring \(\mathbb C[G]\) are denoted by \(\mathcal B\) and is called a branching algebra. The branching algebra \(\mathcal B\) is graded by the weights of the maximal torus \(T_G \times T_H\) in \(G \times H\), and together with this graded structure, the algebra \(\mathcal B\) encodes all the properties of the branching problem of \(\tau_G \big|_H\), where \(\tau_G\) denotes a finite dimensional irreducible representation of \(G\). In this paper, the authors study the case where \((G, H)=(Sp_{2n},Sp_{2(n -1)})\), with natural embedding of \(Sp_{2(n - 1)}\) into \(Sp_{2n}\). They gave a combinatorial description of the basis of the branching algebra \(\mathcal B\), generators and defining relations, which identifies \(\mathcal B\) as an ASL algebra (algebra with straightening law). The basis (standard monomial basis) is described via Gelfand-Tsetlin pattern using Young tableaux. Each basis vector is actually a weight vector, so they form a graded basis. The second author found a remarkable action of the product of \(n\)-copies of \(SL_2\) on this algebra \(\mathcal B\) in [Sel. Math., New Ser. 16, No. 4, 819--855 (2010; Zbl 1209.22008)]. The basis constructed in the present paper behaves very well under this action of \(SL_2 \times \dotsb \times SL_2\). In particular, they also give a weight basis of these \(SL_2 \)-actions. Finally, the authors explicitly give a toric degeneration of \(\mathcal B\). As a result, they obtain a toric algebra, which is a so-called Hibi algebra arising from a certain poset (or lattice poset) (cf. [\textit{T. Hibi}, Adv. Stud. Pure Math. 11, 93--109 (1987; Zbl 0654.13015)]).