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Karthik C
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Decomposing a polynomial ring into Specht Modules

Let $S_{\pi}$ where $\pi$ is an integer partition of $n$, denote the Specht module corresponding to $\pi$.

I am trying to decompose the set of all homogeneous polynomials in $x_1,x_2,...,x_n$ generated linearly (over any field of characteristic zero) by the monomials of the form $x_i^2x_jx_k$ ($i,j,k$ are distinct), into Specht modules. I managed to do it for the polynomials generated by each of the following classes of monomials with $i,j,k,l$ distinct: $x_i^3x_j,x_i^2x_j^2,x_i^4,x_ix_jx_kx_l$.

Once it is achieved for ${x_i}^2x_jx_k$ a decomposition is successfully found for the space of degree 4 homogeneous polynomials in $n$ variables where $n$ is large enough, say $n\ge20$. This is the aim.

  1. First $x_i^3x_j$ $(i\ne j)$: We know that $x_i^3x_j=\displaystyle \frac{x_i^3x_j+x_ix_j^3}2+\frac{x_i^3x_j-x_ix_j^3}2$

    (a) The terms of the form $\displaystyle \frac{x_i^3x_j+x_ix_j^3}2$ generate linearly a space isomorphic as $S_n$-modules (the module action is by permuting indices) to the homogeneous square-free degree 2 polynomials. This is isomorphic to $S_{(n-2,2)}\oplus S_{(n-1,1)}\oplus S_{(n)}$.

    (b) The terms of the form $\displaystyle\frac{x_i^3x_j-x_ix_j^3}2$ generate linearly a space isomorphic as $S_n$-modules to the second exterior power of a vector space generated by $\{x_1,x_2,...,x_n\}$ via $x_i\wedge x_j\mapsto\displaystyle\frac{x_i^3x_j-x_ix_j^3}2$. Thus this is isomorphic to $S_{(n-2,1,1)}\oplus S_{(n-1,1)}$.

    So the decomposition is $\displaystyle S_{(n-2,2)}\oplus S_{(n-2,1,1)}\oplus 2S_{(n-1,1)}\oplus S_{(n)}$

    where "$2$" indicates that we have two copies of $S_{(n-1,1)}$.

  2. $x_i^4$: This is simply a vector space generated by $x_i^4$, and is a direct sum of the standard and the trivial representations of $S_n$ that is $S_{(n-1)}$ and $S_{(n)}$. Thus the decomposition is $S_{(n-1,1)}\oplus S_{(n)}$.

  3. $x_ix_jx_kx_l$: These generate the module isomorphic to module $M_\lambda$ as in Bruce Sagan's book "The Symmetric Group" where $\lambda=(n-4,4)$ which one figures is just $S_{(n-4,4)}\oplus S_{(n-3,3)}\oplus S_{(n-2,2)}\oplus S_{(n-1,1)}\oplus S_{(n)}$.

  4. $x_i^2x_j^2$: These generate the module isomorphic to module $M_\lambda$ where $\lambda=(n-2,2)$ which one figures is just $S_{(n-2,2)}\oplus S_{(n-1,1)}\oplus S_{(n)}$.

The reason behind showing above is that these are alarmingly simple deductions though I can't seem to find one nearly as slick for the class $x_i^2x_jx_k$. I found that there is a submodule isomorphic to $M_{(n-3,3)}$ inside this class of polynomials. But that is the closeset I could get.

I tried dimension count as well, because the homogeneous degree-4 polynomials are of dimension ${n+3\choose 4}$. But this counting technique leads to many possible decompositions. I am kind of out of ideas on this. Could anyone help?

Karthik C
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