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Questions tagged [symmetric-groups]

The symmetric group $S_n$ is the group of permutations of the set of integers $\{1,\dots,n\}$. This has $n!$ elements and is generated by the $n-1$ involutions exchanging consecutive integers. The symmetric groups form the simplest family of Coxeter groups.

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0 votes
1 answer
203 views

Equivalence of dihedral and symmetric group actions on a specialized real algebra

Edit: fixed misaligned indentation for "Update x and y by", below. I also had two little ideas that might help. consider first the case where the digit 7 is not allowed, simplifying the ...
6 votes
0 answers
131 views

Is there a more natural way to define the Young symmetrizer and the Specht module?

It's well known that Young symmetrizer is a fundamental tool in the representation theory of symmetric groups. For instance, for every Young diagram $\lambda\vdash n$, we construct a Young tableau $T_\...
1 vote
0 answers
36 views

induced module of hyperoctahedral group

Let $H$ be the subgroup of the symmetric group $\mathfrak{S}_n$. Let $W_n$ be the group algebra of the hyperoctahedral group $\mathbb{Z}/2\mathbb{Z} \wr \mathfrak{S}_n$.The induced module $M:=\mathrm{...
4 votes
1 answer
378 views

Where to begin in Computational Group Theory?

I'm coding a small application that looks for periodic solutions to the gravitational n-body problem. I'm trying to better understanding the symmetries of solutions, which is made up of the product of ...
0 votes
0 answers
95 views

Class multiplication coefficients of symmetric groups

My question is that I was working with some counting problems, and finally the answer should be $$ \nu_{\mu_1,\mu_2,\mu_3}=\#\{(\sigma_1,\sigma_2,\sigma_3): \sigma_1\sigma_2\sigma_3=1, \sigma_1\in C_{\...
2 votes
2 answers
132 views

Invertibility of one matrix constructed by order n subgroup of symmetric group

Let $S_n$ be the symmetric group on $n$ elements $\{ 1,2,\dotsc,n \}$ and $G$ be a subgroup of $S_n$ of order $n$. Denote the elements in $G$ by $\{ \sigma_1,\dotsc,\sigma_n \}$. Let the matrix $A=(\...
3 votes
0 answers
171 views

Basis of Specht module of symmetric groups

I am reading the construction of the Specht module from James's book. The Specht module of a symmetric group corresponding to a partition $\lambda$ is spanned by all polytabloids $e_{t}$ associated ...
1 vote
0 answers
85 views

Unitary representations of the symmetric group over finite fields

I am interested in understanding the unitary representations of the symmetric group over $\mathbb{F}_{q^2}$. In general, some comments here are relevant Unitary representations of finite groups over ...
5 votes
0 answers
145 views

Symmetric groups acting on rational surfaces

Let $X$ be a complex projective rational surface. Is there an upper bound on $n\in\mathbb{N}$ such that $S_n\subset \text{Aut}(X)$? Here $S_n$ is the symmetric group on $n$ elements.
2 votes
0 answers
96 views

Morita equivalence between category of modules of hyperoctahedral group with the category of modules of direct product of two symmetric groups

I am reading the paper "R. Dipper and G. D. James, Representations of Hecke algebras of type $B_n$, J. Algebra (146) 1992, 454–481". Theorem 4.18 says that the category of modules of the ...
8 votes
1 answer
356 views

Describing the hook part of the symmetric group algebra

Let $\mathbf{k}$ be a field of characteristic $0$. Let $n\in\mathbb{N}$, and consider the symmetric group $S_{n}$ consisting of all permutations of $\left[ n\right] :=\left\{ 1,2,\ldots,n\right\} $...
3 votes
1 answer
149 views

Drunken X-mas polynomials for graphs

Given a finite connected graph $\Gamma$ with vertices $\lbrace 1,\ldots,N\rbrace$, we can consider the polynomial $$\sum_{\pi\in\mathcal S_N}x^{\sum_{j=1}^Nd_\Gamma(j,\pi(j))}$$ where $\mathcal S_N$ ...
16 votes
3 answers
1k views

Conjectures in the representation theory of the symmetric group

Question: What are current open conjectures about the representation theory of the symmetric group? I am interested mostly in the characteristic 0 case, but conjectures for the modular case can also ...
6 votes
0 answers
136 views

Second homotopy group of the symmetric power of a space

Let $X$ be a finite CW complex, $n \ge 2$, and $\Sigma_n$ be the permutation group on $n$ symbols. Let $X^{(n)}=X^n/\Sigma_n$ be the quotient of the natural action of $\Sigma_n$ on $X^n$. We call $X^{(...
1 vote
1 answer
95 views

Representation of equivariant maps

Let $n,m,k$ be positive integers. Consider the action of symmetric group $S^n$ on $\mathbb{R}^{n\times i}$ (for $i\in \{m,k\}$) by permuting rows; i.e. for each $\pi\in S^n$ and every $n\times i$ ...
25 votes
6 answers
3k views

What is the standard 2-generating set of the symmetric group good for?

I apologize for this question which is obviously not research-level. I've been teaching to master students the standard generating sets of the symmetric and alternating groups and I wasn't able to ...
0 votes
0 answers
164 views

One-product free sequences for $A_n$

I am working on computing the Davenport constant $D(G)$ for $S_n$ and $A_n$, i.e., the minimal number $d$ such that every sequence (multiset) of $d$ elements contains some subsequence giving identity ...
2 votes
1 answer
232 views

Is the small Davenport constant for $S_n$, $d(S_n)=n(n-1)/2$?

The Davenport constant $D(G)$ of a finite group $G$ is the minimal $d$ such that any sequence/multiset of length $d$ is one-product, i.e., identity can be obtained as a product (in some order) of some ...
3 votes
1 answer
260 views

Davenport constant $D(S_5)=10$ or $11$?

I am working on computing the Davenport constant $D(G)$ of symmetric groups, which is the minimal number $d$ such that every sequence of $d$ elements, possibly with repetitions, is one-product, i.e. ...
3 votes
0 answers
155 views

Correspondence between even and odd permutations in $S_5$

I am working on the Davenport constant for symmetric groups, $D(G)$ , which is the minimal number $d$ such that every sequence of $d$ elements in the group G is one-product sequence, i.e, we can ...
9 votes
2 answers
245 views

Matrix invariants for simultaneous conjugation by a finite subgroup of $\textrm{GL}_n$

Let $K$ be a field of characteristic 0, and consider $d$ generic $n\times n$ matrices $X_1,\ldots,X_d$ where $X_k = (x_{ijk})_{ij}$ and $ K[x_{ijk}]$ is the polynomial algebra in $n^2 \cdot d$ ...
4 votes
1 answer
593 views

Commutativity of the wreath product

(Cross-posted from MSE, with isomorphism replaced by conjugate: https://math.stackexchange.com/questions/4928697/commutativity-of-the-wreath-product?noredirect=1#comment10531931_4928697 ) Let $G$ be a ...
3 votes
1 answer
182 views

Schur cover of alternating groups

Wilson's book "The finite simple groups" gives (in section 2.7) a description of the double cover of the alternating groups. First, one constructs a double cover $2S_n$ of the symmetric ...
3 votes
0 answers
89 views

Young symmetrizers-like projections to the center of group algebra

Let $A:=\mathbb{C}S_n$ be the symmetric group aglebra. Let $T$ be a standard Young tableaux of shape $\lambda$. Denote $R(T)$ and $C(T)$ as row and column stabilizers of $T$. For a set $S \subseteq ...
0 votes
1 answer
205 views

Hyperoctahedral group, preliminaries [closed]

I am looking for information on the hyperoctahedral group From what I understand, the hyperoctahedral group is 'the generalized symmetric group' in the case where $m=2$. That is, the hyperoctahedral ...
12 votes
2 answers
882 views

H^2 of symmetric group

I'm a number theorist in need of some group cohomology lemmas, and I'm rather bewildered by the level of generality used in the literature. Specifically, the result I need is as follows: the ...
3 votes
0 answers
72 views

How to multiply dots with Young idempotents in the degenerate affine Hecke algebra (type A)

Let $\widehat{\cal H}_n$ be the type A degenerate affine Hecke algebra on $n$ strands, and let $x_1,\cdots,x_n$ be the dots. Inside of this algebra lies the algebra $\mathbb C S_n$, and the Young ...
6 votes
1 answer
228 views

Characters with all higher exterior powers irreducible

Let $G$ be a finite group and we take for the field the complex numbers. Call an irreducible character $\xi$ with degree $m$ of $G$ perfect, if all exterior powers $\bigwedge\nolimits^k \xi$ are ...
6 votes
3 answers
434 views

What is known about finite dimensional modules over the nilCoxeter algebra?

Recall that the nilCoxeter algebra $\mathcal{N}_W$ for a Coxeter group $W$ is given by the $\mathbf{k}$-basis $x_w$ for each $w\in W$ and multiplication $x_ux_v=x_{uv}$ if $\ell(uv)=\ell(u)+\ell(v)$ ...
9 votes
1 answer
216 views

Asymptotic character theory of unitary groups via shifted Schur functions

In the paper "Shifted Schur Functions" http://arxiv.org/abs/q-alg/9605042 by Andrei Okounkov and Grigori Olshanski it is said that one of the motivations for that paper was the asymptotic ...
1 vote
0 answers
151 views

Efficient decomposition algorithm for characters of symmetric groups

Let $\chi$ be a rational character of $G:=S_n$, and we want to know whether it decomposes into irreducibles $\chi_\lambda$, for $\lambda\in\Lambda$, with $\Lambda$ given, as $$ \chi=\sum_{\lambda\in\...
1 vote
1 answer
82 views

The sum of the signs of conjugacy classes in the symmetric group S_n [duplicate]

Let $r$ be the number of conjugacy classes of the symmetric group $S_n$ whose sign is $1$, i.e. \begin{equation} r := \#\{c \in \text{Conj} (S_n): \text{sgn} (c) = 1 \}. \end{equation} Let $s$ be the ...
6 votes
0 answers
102 views

The meet of two dominant permutations in weak order of $S_n$

A permutation is called dominant if its Lehmer code is a partition, or equivalently if it avoids the pattern $132$. I can prove that given a permutation $v\in S_n$, there is a unique dominant ...
26 votes
6 answers
3k views

Why is the right permutohedron order (aka weak order) on $S_n$ a lattice?

This is one of those things I never expected to be hard until I tried to prove it. Why is the right permutohedron order (a.k.a. weak Bruhat order, a.k.a. weak order -- not to be confused with the ...
3 votes
0 answers
129 views

Plethysm and wreath product

I am looking for a proof about the link between plethysm and wreath product. It is a well-known fact, being use extensively in many papers, but I can't find a good reference. Everything that follows ...
4 votes
0 answers
217 views

Detecting symmetries in polynomials that lead to nice geometric properties

If we plot the single variable polynomial $p(x) = (x^2-1)^2$, it is easy to see that it has a nice property: all of its local minima are actually global minima. In particular, it has precisely two ...
2 votes
0 answers
213 views

Using the Dold-Thom Theorem to define \'etale cohomology

For reasonable spaces $X$, the Dold-Thom Theorem states that $\pi_i(SP(X)) \cong \tilde{H}_i(X)$ where $SP(X) = \bigsqcup_i \mathrm{Sym}^i(X)$. There is a purely algebro-geometric realization of this ...
15 votes
1 answer
549 views

Branching rule of $S_n$ and Springer theory

Let $u\in\mathrm{GL}_n$ be a unipotent element, let $\mathcal{B}_u$ be the variety of Borel subgroups containing $u$, and let $d=\dim \mathcal{B}_u$. Then Springer theory tells us that $H^{2d}(\...
1 vote
0 answers
130 views

Relationship between the symmetric group representation (Specht module) of a Young diagram and the Young diagram obtained by deleting one row

Suppose $\lambda$ is a Young diagram, and $\lambda'$ is obtained by deleting one particular row of $\lambda$. Is there any relationship between the symmetric group representation (Specht module) ...
9 votes
0 answers
254 views

An identity for characters of the symmetric group

I am looking for a reference for the identity $$\chi_\lambda(C)=\frac{\dim(V_\lambda)}{|C|}\sum_{p\in P_\lambda,\,q\in Q_\lambda,\,pq\in C}\operatorname{sgn}(q)$$ for the irreducible characters of the ...
5 votes
1 answer
212 views

What is the effect of tensoring with the sign representation on irreducible modules for a Type D Weyl group?

Given an integer $n \geq 4$, consider the Weyl groups $W(B_n)$ and $W(D_n)$ of types $B_n$ and $D_n$, respectively, and consider their representation theory over the field of complex numbers. The Weyl ...
2 votes
1 answer
145 views

When are these irreducible complex representations for the Type D Weyl group self-dual?

Given an integer $n \geq 4$, consider the Weyl groups $W(B_n)$ and $W(D_n)$ of types $B_n$ and $D_n$, respectively, and consider their representation theory over the field of complex numbers. The Weyl ...
2 votes
0 answers
352 views

On characters of the symmetric group: Part 1

Given an integer partition $\lambda$, denote $\ell(\lambda)=$ length, $\vert\lambda\vert=$ size and $\lambda=$ conjugate of $\lambda$. Allow to write $\lambda\vdash n$ either as $(\lambda_1,\dots,\...
30 votes
0 answers
814 views

Interpretation of "1089-number trick" in terms of symmetric group action on cohomology group?

I tried posting the following on math.stackexchange, but no answers. I can of course delete if inappropriate. The "1089 number trick" (see e.g. here) says that if you take a three-digit ...
11 votes
1 answer
887 views

Dual of a Specht module

For a partition $\mu$ of $n$, let $S^{\mu}$ be the associated Specht module, defined over $\mathbb{Z}$. For any field $k$, we can tensor $S^{\mu}$ with $k$ to get a representation $S^{\mu}_k$ of the ...
4 votes
0 answers
160 views

Major indices of standard tableaux of shapes obtained from addable cells of a given Young diagram

I have a "very" indirect proof that the following fact is true for every Young diagram $\lambda \vdash n$ and every $r \in \{0,\dotsc,n\}$: \begin{equation} d_\lambda = \sum_{a \in \mathrm{...
3 votes
1 answer
221 views

Asymptotics for number of $p$-regular partitions of $n$

The number of simple modules $D^{\lambda}=S^{\lambda}/S^{\lambda}\cap (S^{\lambda})^{\bot}$ of the symmetric group over a field $k$ such that $\text{char}(k)=p > 0$ is the number of $p$-regular ...
4 votes
0 answers
313 views

What is $\dim D^{\lambda}$ for the symmetric group?

What are the dimensions of the simple modules $D^{\lambda}=S^{\lambda}/S^{\lambda}\cap (S^{\lambda})^{\perp}$ for the modular representation theory of $S_n$, i.e. $\operatorname{char}(k)=p>0$? I ...
12 votes
7 answers
15k views

Easy proof of the uncountability of bijections on natural numbers

Is there an easy proof of the uncountability of bijections on natural numbers? The proof that I have in mind is as follows - $\text{Gal }(\overline{\mathbb Q}/\mathbb Q)$ is a proper uncountable ...
3 votes
0 answers
311 views

What is known about representations of $S_n$ in other categories?

Is anything known about representations of the symmetric group $S_n$ for categories other than $\textbf{Vect}_k$, vector spaces and linear maps over a field $k$. That is, a group $G$ can be considered ...

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