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Christine Bessenrodt

Publications and source records attributed to Christine Bessenrodt.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
arXiv2023

Splitting Kronecker squares, 2-decomposition numbers, Catalan Combinatorics, and the Saxl conjecture

While there has been some progress on the decomposition of Kronecker products of characters of the symmetric groups in recent times, results on the symmetric and alternating part of Kronecker squares are still scarce. Here, new results (and conjectures) are presented on this splitting of the squares that contribute to a refined understanding of the Kronecker squares. Furthermore, connections to 2-modular decomposition numbers, Catalan combinatorics, and to the Saxl conjecture are discussed which further motivate the study of these splittings.

math.CO↗
arXiv2020

On p-parts of Brauer character degrees and p-regular conjugacy class sizes

Let $G$ be a finite group, $p$ a prime, and $IBr_p(G)$ the set of irreducible $p$-Brauer characters of $G$. Let $\bar e_p(G)$ be the largest integer such that $p^{\bar e_p(G)}$ divides $χ(1)$ for some $χ\in IBr_p(G)$. We show that $|G:O_p(G)|_p \leq p^{k \bar e_p(G)}$ for an explicitly given constant $k$. We also study the analogous problem for the $p$-parts of the conjugacy class sizes of $p$-regular elements of finite groups.

math.GR↗
arXiv2019

A sharp upper bound for the size of Lusztig series

The paper is concerned with the character theory of finite groups of Lie type. The irreducible characters of a group $G$ of Lie type are partitioned in Lusztig series. We provide a simple formula for an upper bound of the maximal size of a Lusztig series for classical groups with connected center; this is expressed for each group $G$ in terms of its Lie rank and defining characteristic. When $G$ is specified as $G(q)$ and $q$ is large enough, we determine explicitly the maximum of the sizes of the Lusztig series of $G$.

math.RT↗
arXiv2017

Hook removal operators on the odd Young graph

In this article we consider hook removal operators on odd partitions, i.e., partitions labelling odd-degree irreducible characters of finite symmetric groups. In particular we complete the discussion, started by Isaacs, Navarro, Olsson and Tiep in 2016, concerning the commutativity of such operators.

math.RT↗
arXiv2017

Restriction of Odd Degree Characters of $\mathfrak{S}_n$

Let $n$ and $k$ be natural numbers such that $2^k < n$. We study the restriction to $\mathfrak{S}_{n-2^k}$ of odd-degree irreducible characters of the symmetric group $\mathfrak{S}_n$. This analysis completes the study begun in [Ayyer A., Prasad A., Spallone S., Sem. Lothar. Combin. 75 (2015), Art. B75g, 13 pages] and recently developed in [Isaacs I.M., Navarro G., Olsson J.B., Tiep P.H., J. Algebra 478 (2017), 271-282].

math.RT↗
arXiv2017

All $SL_2$-tilings come from infinite triangulations

An $SL_2$-tiling is a bi-infinite matrix of positive integers such that each adjacent 2 by 2 submatrix has determinant 1. Such tilings are infinite analogues of Conway-Coxeter friezes, and they have strong links to cluster algebras, combinatorics, mathematical physics, and representation theory. We show that, by means of so-called Conway-Coxeter counting, every $SL_2$-tiling arises from a triangulation of the disc with two, three or four accumulation points. This improves earlier results which only discovered $SL_2$-tilings with infinitely many entries equal to 1. Indeed, our methods show that there are large classes of tilings with only finitely many entries equal to 1, including a class of tilings with no 1's at all. In the latter case, we show that the minimal entry of a tiling is unique.

math.CO↗
arXiv2017

Critical classes, Kronecker products of spin characters, and the Saxl conjecture

Highlighting the use of critical classes, we consider constituents in Kronecker products, in particular of spin characters of the double covers of the symmetric and alternating groups. We apply results from the spin case to find constituents in Kronecker products of characters of the symmetric groups. Via this tool, we make progress on the Saxl conjecture; this claims that for a triangular number $n$, the square of the irreducible character of the symmetric group $S_n$ labelled by the staircase contains all irreducible characters of $S_n$ as constituents. We find a large number of constituents in this square which were not detected by other methods. Moreover, the investigation of Kronecker products of spin characters inspires a spin variant of Saxl's conjecture.

math.RT↗
arXiv2016

Multiplicity-free Kronecker products of characters of the symmetric groups

We provide a classification of multiplicity-free inner tensor products of irreducible characters of symmetric groups, thus confirming a conjecture of Bessenrodt. Concurrently, we classify all multiplicity-free inner tensor products of skew characters of the symmetric groups. We also provide formulae for calculating the decomposition of these tensor products.

math.RT↗
arXiv2015

Littlewood-Richardson rules for symmetric skew quasisymmetric Schur functions

The classical Littlewood-Richardson rule is a rule for computing coefficients in many areas, and comes in many guises. In this paper we prove two Littlewood-Richardson rules for symmetric skew quasisymmetric Schur functions that are analogous to the famed version of the classical Littlewood-Richardson rule involving Yamanouchi words. Furthermore, both our rules contain this classical Littlewood-Richardson rule as a special case. We then apply our rules to combinatorially classify symmetric skew quasisymmetric Schur functions. This answers affirmatively a conjecture of Bessenrodt, Luoto and van Willigenburg.

math.CO↗
arXiv2015

Complex group algebras of the double covers of the symmetric and alternating groups

We prove that the double covers of the alternating and symmetric groups are determined by their complex group algebras. To be more precise, let $n\geq 5$ be an integer, $G$ a finite group, and let $\AAA$ and $\SSS^\pm$ denote the double covers of $\Al_n$ and $\Sy_n$, respectively. We prove that $\CC G\cong \CC \AAA$ if and only if $G\cong \AAA$, and $\CC G\cong \CC \SSS^+\cong\CC\SSS^-$ if and only if $G\cong \SSS^+$ or $\SSS^-$. This in particular completes the proof of a conjecture proposed by the second and fourth authors that every finite quasi-simple group is determined uniquely up to isomorphism by the structure of its complex group algebra. The known results on prime power degrees and relatively small degrees of irreducible (linear and projective) representations of the symmetric and alternating groups together with the classification of finite simple groups play an essential role in the proofs.

math.RT↗
arXiv2015

Huppert's Conjecture for Alternating groups

We prove that the alternating groups of degree at least $5$ are uniquely determined up to an abelian direct factor by the degrees of their irreducible complex representations. This confirms Huppert's Conjecture for alternating groups.

math.GR↗
arXiv2014

Conway-Coxeter friezes and beyond: Polynomially weighted walks around dissected polygons and generalized frieze patterns

Conway and Coxeter introduced frieze patterns in 1973 and classified them via triangulated polygons. The determinant of the matrix associated to a frieze table was computed explicitly by Broline, Crowe and Isaacs in 1974, a result generalized 2012 by Baur and Marsh in the context of cluster algebras of type A. Higher angulations of polygons and associated generalized frieze patterns were studied in a joint paper with Holm and Jørgensen. Here we take these results further; we allow arbitrary dissections and introduce polynomially weighted walks around such dissected polygons. The corresponding generalized frieze table satisfies a complementary symmetry condition; its determinant is a multisymmetric multivariate polynomial that is given explicitly. But even more, the frieze matrix may be transformed over a ring of Laurent polynomials to a nice diagonal form generalizing the Smith normal form result given in an earlier joint paper with Holm and Jørgensen. Considering the generalized polynomial frieze in this context it is also shown that the non-zero local determinants are monomials that are given explicitly, depending on the geometry of the dissected polygon.

math.CO↗
arXiv2014

Multiplicative properties of the number of $k$-regular partitions

In a previous paper of the second author with K. Ono, surprising multiplicative properties of the partition function were presented. Here, we deal with $k$-regular partitions. Extending the generating function for $k$-regular partitions multiplicatively to a function on $k$-regular partitions, we show that it takes its maximum at an explicitly described small set of partitions, and can thus easily be computed. The basis for this is an extension of a classical result of Lehmer, from which an inequality for the generating function for $k$-regular partitions is deduced which seems not to have been noticed before.

math.NT↗
arXiv2014

Generalized frieze pattern determinants and higher angulations of polygons

Frieze patterns (in the sense of Conway and Coxeter) are in close connection to triangulations of polygons. Broline, Crowe and Isaacs have assigned a symmetric matrix to each polygon triangulation and computed the determinant. In this paper we consider d-angulations of polygons and generalize the combinatorial algorithm for computing the entries in the associated symmetric matrices; we compute their determinants and the Smith normal forms. It turns out that both are independent of the particular d-angulation, the determinant is a power of d-1, and the elementary divisors only take values d-1 and 1. We also show that in the generalized frieze patterns obtained in our setting every adjacent 2x2-determinant is 0 or 1, and we give a combinatorial criterion for when they are 1, which in the case d=3 gives back the Conway-Coxeter condition on frieze patterns.

math.CO↗
arXiv2014

Smith Normal Form of a Multivariate Matrix Associated with Partitions

Consideration of a question of E. R. Berlekamp led Carlitz, Roselle, and Scoville to give a combinatorial interpretation of the entries of certain matrices of determinant~1 in terms of lattice paths. Here we generalize this result by refining the matrix entries to be multivariate polynomials, and by determining not only the determinant but also the Smith normal form of these matrices. A priori the Smith form need not exist but its existence follows from the explicit computation. It will be more convenient for us to state our results in terms of partitions rather than lattice paths.

math.CO↗
arXiv2014

Maximal multiplicative properties of partitions

Extending the partition function multiplicatively to a function on partitions, we show that it has a unique maximum at an explicitly given partition for any $n\neq 7$. The basis for this is an inequality for the partition function which seems not to have been noticed before.

math.CO↗