Graded cellular bases for the cyclotomic Khovanov-Lauda-Rouquier algebras of type \(A\). (Q990744)

The representation theory of Iwahori-Hecke algebras and their cyclotomic generalisations has received a lot of attention in recent years. This paper concentrates on the Ariki-Koike algebras, which generalise the Iwahori-Hecke algebras of type \(A\) and \(B\). Two important aspects of the representation of these algebras are (1) the fact that these algebras are cellular in the sense of Graham and Lehrer, which allows the representation theory to be studied via a powerful general framework, and (2) the recent revelation, due to Brundan and Kleshchev, that these algebras are graded; this comes from the connection with Khovanov-Lauda-Rouquier algebras, and adds a layer of richness to the representation theory. The purpose of the paper under review is to unite these two aspects, by providing a graded cellular basis for the Ariki-Koike algebra. Various other results are proved as consequences; for example, that the algebra is a graded symmetric algebra. But in fact, this paper serves a more useful purpose, giving a very accessible introduction to these topics. It is clear that the authors have worked hard to understand and embrace the graded representation theory of the Ariki-Koike algebra, and in this paper they take pains to pass on their understanding to the reader. They begin with a definition of a graded cellular algebra, which adds an axiom to the Graham-Lehrer axioms for cellular algebras. They explore the consequences in some detail, demonstrating that the definition is the right one. Then the authors introduce the KLR algebras, giving just enough information to allow the reader to understand without being swamped. Then they get on with the work of proving that the algebras are graded cellular, by introducing the seminormal basis in Section 4, before proving their main result in Section 5. In Section 6, the authors consider duality and introduce a second graded cellular basis which allows them to prove that the algebras are graded symmetric. To summarise: this is an excellent paper, which gives a helpful introduction to a subject as well as proving some quite significant results.