arXiv subjects

Alexander Yong

Publications and source records attributed to Alexander Yong.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2016

Genomic Tableaux

We explain how genomic tableaux [Pechenik-Yong '15] are a semistandard complement to increasing tableaux [Thomas-Yong '09]. From this perspective, one inherits genomic versions of jeu de taquin, Knuth equivalence, infusion and Bender-Knuth involutions, as well as Schur functions from (shifted) semistandard Young tableaux theory. These are applied to obtain new Littlewood-Richardson rules for K-theory Schubert calculus of Grassmannians (after [Buch '02]) and maximal orthogonal Grassmannians (after [Clifford-Thomas-Yong '14], [Buch-Ravikumar '12]). For the unsolved case of Lagrangian Grassmannians, sharp upper and lower bounds using genomic tableaux are conjectured.

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arXiv2015

The Prism tableau model for Schubert polynomials

The Schubert polynomials lift the Schur basis of symmetric polynomials into a basis for Z[x1,x2,...]. We suggest the "prism tableau model" for these polynomials. A novel aspect of this alternative to earlier results is that it directly invokes semistandard tableaux; it does so as part of a colored tableau amalgam. In the Grassmannian case, a prism tableau with colors ignored is a semistandard Young tableau. Our arguments are developed from the Groebner geometry of matrix Schubert varieties.

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arXiv2015

Equivariant K-theory of Grassmannians II: The Knutson-Vakil conjecture

In 2005, A. Knutson--R. Vakil conjectured a puzzle rule for equivariant K-theory of Grassmannians. We resolve this conjecture. After giving a correction, we establish a modified rule by combinatorially connecting it to the authors' recently proved tableau rule for the same Schubert calculus problem.

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arXiv2015

Equivariant K-theory of Grassmannians

We address a unification of the Schubert calculus problems solved by [A. Buch '02] and [A. Knutson-T. Tao '03]. That is, we prove a combinatorial rule for the structure coefficients in the torus-equivariant K-theory of Grassmannians with respect to the basis of Schubert structure sheaves. We thereby deduce the conjectural rule of [H. Thomas-A. Yong '13] for the same coefficients. Both rules are positive in the sense of [D. Anderson-S. Griffeth-E. Miller '11] (and moreover in a stronger form). Our work is based on the combinatorics of genomic tableaux and a generalization of [M.-P. Schutzenberger '77]'s jeu de taquin.

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arXiv2014

Cominuscule tableau combinatorics

We study "cominuscule tableau combinatorics" by generalizing constructions of M. Haiman, S. Fomin and M.-P. Schützenberger. In particular, we extend the dual equivalence ideas of [Haiman, 1992] to reformulate the generalized Littlewood-Richardson rule for cominuscule G/P Schubert calculus from [Thomas-Yong, 2006]. We apply dual equivalence to give an alternative and independent proof of the jeu de taquin results of [Proctor, 2004] needed in our earlier work. We also extend Fomin's growth diagram description of jeu de taquin; the inherent symmetry of these diagrams leads to a generalization of Schützenberger's evacuation involution. Finally, these results are applied to give an cominuscule extension of the carton rule of [Thomas-Yong, 2008].

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arXiv2014

Polynomials for symmetric orbit closures in the flag variety

In [Wyser-Yong '13] we introduced polynomial representatives of cohomology classes of orbit closures in the flag variety, for the symmetric pair $(GL_{p+q}, GL_p \times GL_q)$. We present analogous results for the remaining symmetric pairs of the form $(GL_n,K)$, i.e., $(GL_n,O_n)$ and $(GL_{2n},Sp_{2n})$. We establish the well-definedness of certain representatives from [Wyser '13]. It is also shown that the representatives have the combinatorial properties of nonnegativity and stability. Moreover, we give some extensions to equivariant $K$-theory.

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arXiv2014

Polynomials for GL_p x GL_q orbit closures in the flag variety

The subgroup K=GL_p x GL_q of GL_{p+q} acts on the (complex) flag variety GL_{p+q}/B with finitely many orbits. We introduce a family of polynomials that specializes to representatives for cohomology classes of the orbit closures in the Borel model. We define and study K-orbit determinantal ideals to support the geometric naturality of these representatives. Using a modification of these ideals, we describe an analogy between two local singularity measures: the H-polynomials and the Kazhdan-Lusztig-Vogan polynomials.

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arXiv2014

Critique of Hirsch's citation index: a combinatorial Fermi problem

The h-index was introduced by the physicist J.E. Hirsch in 2005 as measure of a researcher's productivity. We consider the "combinatorial Fermi problem" of estimating h given the citation count. Using the Euler-Gauss identity for integer partitions, we compute confidence intervals. An asymptotic theorem about Durfee squares, due to E.R. Canfield-S. Corteel-C.D. Savage from 1998, is reinterpreted as the rule of thumb h=0.54 x (citations)^{1/2}. We compare these intervals and the rule of thumb to empirical data (primarily using mathematicians).

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arXiv2013

The Joseph Greenberg problem: combinatorics and comparative linguistics

We correct a 1957 combinatorial enumeration by the linguist J. Greenberg. The desired count, the Bell number B(25), supported using his Mass Comparison method for language classification. In 1987, he used this method to classify indigenous languages of the Americas into three families. Actually, the same combinatorics provides a back-of-the-envelope estimate for the number of families. This suggests that alternative classifications with over a hundred families possess the right order of magnitude.

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arXiv2013

Root-theoretic Young diagrams and Schubert calculus: planarity and the adjoint varieties

We study root-theoretic Young diagrams to investigate the existence of a Lie-type uniform and nonnegative combinatorial rule for Schubert calculus. We provide formulas for (co)adjoint varieties of classical Lie type. This is a simplest case after the (co)minuscule family (where a rule has been proved by H.Thomas and the second author using work of R.Proctor). Our results build on earlier Pieri-type rules of P.Pragacz-J.Ratajski and of A.Buch-A.Kresch-H.Tamvakis. Specifically, our formula for OG(2,2n) is the first complete rule for a case where diagrams are non-planar. Yet the formulas possess both uniform and non-uniform features. Using these classical type rules, as well as results of P.-E.Chaput-N.Perrin in the exceptional types, we suggest a connection between polytopality of the set of nonzero Schubert structure constants and planarity of the diagrams. This is an addition to work of A.Klyachko and A.Knutson-T.Tao on the Grassmannian and of K.Purbhoo-F.Sottile on cominuscule varieties, where the diagrams are always planar.

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arXiv2013

Eigenvalues of Hermitian matrices and equivariant cohomology of Grassmannians

The saturation theorem of [Knutson-Tao '99] concerns the nonvanishing of Littlewood-Richardson coefficients. In combination with work of [Klyachko '98], it implies [Horn '62]'s conjecture about eigenvalues of sums of Hermitian matrices. This eigenvalue problem has a generalization [Friedland '00] to majorized sums of Hermitian matrices. We further illustrate the common features between these two eigenvalue problems and their connection to Schubert calculus of Grassmannians. Our main result gives a Schubert calculus interpretation of Friedland's problem, via equivariant cohomology of Grassmannians. In particular, we prove a saturation theorem for this setting. Our arguments employ the aformentioned work together with [Thomas-Yong '12].

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arXiv2013

Combinatorial rules for three bases of polynomials

We present combinatorial rules (one theorem and two conjectures) concerning three bases of Z[x1,x2,....]. First, we prove a "splitting" rule for the basis of key polynomials [Demazure '74], thereby establishing a new positivity theorem about them. Second, we introduce an extension of [Kohnert '90]'s "moves" to conjecture the first combinatorial rule for a certain deformation [Lascoux '01] of the key polynomials. Third, we use the same extension to conjecture a new rule for the Grothendieck polynomials [Lascoux-Schutzenberger '82].

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arXiv2012

Singularities of Richardson varieties

We give a short proof that essentially all questions concerning singularities of Richardson varieties reduce to corresponding questions about Schubert varieties. Consequently, we quickly deduce some new and previously known results.

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arXiv2012

Patch ideals and Peterson varieties

Patch ideals encode neighbourhoods of a variety in GL_n/B. For Peterson varieties we determine generators for these ideals and show they are complete intersections, and thus Cohen-Macaulay and Gorenstein. Consequently, we combinatorially describe the singular locus of the Peterson variety; give an explicit equivariant K-theory localization formula; and extend some results of [B. Kostant '96] and of D. Peterson to intersections of Peterson varieties with Schubert varieties. We conjecture that the projectivized tangent cones are Cohen-Macaulay, and that their h-polynomials are nonnegative and upper-semicontinuous. Similarly, we use patch ideals to briefly analyze other examples of torus invariant subvarieties of GL_n/B, including Richardson varieties and Springer fibers.

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arXiv2012

Equivariant Schubert calculus and jeu de taquin

We introduce edge labeled Young tableaux. Our main results provide a corresponding analogue of [Schützenberger '77]'s theory of jeu de taquin. These are applied to the equivariant Schubert calculus of Grassmannians. Reinterpreting, we present new (semi)standard tableaux to study factorial Schur polynomials, after [Biedenharn-Louck '89], [Macdonald '92] and [Goulden-Greene '94] and others. Consequently, we obtain new combinatorial rules for the Schubert structure coefficients, complementing work of [Molev-Sagan '99], [Knutson-Tao '03], [Molev '08] and [Kreiman '09]. We also describe a conjectural generalization of one of our rules to the equivariant K-theory of Grassmannians, extending work of [Thomas-Yong '07]. This conjecture concretely realizes the "positivity" known to exist by [Anderson-Griffeth-Miller '08]. It provides an alternative to the conjectural rule of Knutson-Vakil reported in [Coskun-Vakil '06].

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arXiv2011

A Gröbner basis for Kazhdan-Lusztig ideals

Kazhdan-Lusztig ideals, a family of generalized determinantal ideals investigated in [Woo-Yong '08], provide an explicit choice of coordinates and equations encoding a neighbourhood of a torus-fixed point of a Schubert variety on a type A flag variety. Our main result is a Grobner basis for these ideals. This provides a single geometric setting to transparently explain the naturality of pipe dreams on the Rothe diagram of a permutation, and their appearance in: * combinatorial formulas [Fomin-Kirillov '94] for Schubert and Grothendieck polynomials of [Lascoux-Schutzenberger '82]; * the equivariant K-theory specialization formula of [Buch-Rimanyi '04]; and * a positive combinatorial formula for multiplicities of Schubert varieties in good cases, including those for which the associated Kazhdan-Lusztig ideal is homogeneous under the standard grading. Our results generalize (with alternate proofs) [Knutson-Miller '05]'s Grobner basis theorem for Schubert determinantal ideals and their geometric interpretation of the monomial positivity of Schubert polynomials. We also complement recent work of [Knutson '08,'09] on degenerations of Kazhdan-Lusztig varieties in general Lie type, as well as work of [Goldin '01] on equivariant localization and of [Lakshmibai-Weyman '90], [Rosenthal-Zelevinsky '01], and [Krattenthaler '01] on Grassmannian multiplicity formulas.

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arXiv2010

Kazhdan-Lusztig polynomials and drift configurations

The coefficients of the Kazhdan-Lusztig polynomials $P_{v,w}(q)$ are nonnegative integers that are upper semicontinuous on Bruhat order. Conjecturally, the same properties hold for $h$-polynomials $H_{v,w}(q)$ of local rings of Schubert varieties. This suggests a parallel between the two families of polynomials. We prove our conjectures for Grassmannians, and more generally, covexillary Schubert varieties in complete flag varieties, by deriving a combinatorial formula for $H_{v,w}(q)$. We introduce \emph{drift configurations} to formulate a new and compatible combinatorial rule for $P_{v,w}(q)$. From our rules we deduce, for these cases, the coefficient-wise inequality $P_{v,w}(q)\preceq H_{v,w}(q)$.

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arXiv2010

K-theoretic Schubert calculus for OG(n,2n+1) and jeu de taquin for shifted increasing tableaux

We present a proof of a Littlewood-Richardson rule for the K-theory of odd orthogonal Grassmannians OG(n,2n+1), as conjectured in [Thomas-Yong '09]. Specifically, we prove that rectification using the jeu de taquin for increasing shifted tableaux introduced there, is well-defined and gives rise to an associative product. Recently, [Buch-Ravikumar '09] proved a Pieri rule for OG(n,2n+1) that [Feigenbaum-Sergel '09] showed confirms a special case of the conjecture. Together, these results imply the aforementioned conjecture.

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