Schur polynomials, banded Toeplitz matrices and Widom's formula

We prove that for arbitrary partitions $\mathbf{\lambda} \subseteq \mathbf{\kappa},$ and integers $0\leq c<r\leq n,$ the sequence of Schur polynomials $S_{(\mathbf{\kappa} + k\cdot \mathbf{1}^c)/(\mathbf{\lambda} + k\cdot \mathbf{1}^r)}(x_1,...,x_n)$ for $k$ sufficiently large, satisfy a linear recurrence. The roots of the characteristic equation are given explicitly. These recurrences are also valid for certain sequences of minors of banded Toeplitz matrices. In addition, we show that Widom's determinant formula from 1958 is a special case of a well-known identity for Schur polynomials

Gelfand-Tsetlin polytopes and the integer decomposition property

Let $P$ be the Gelfand--Tsetlin polytope defined by the skew shape $\lambda/\mu$ and weight $w$. In the case corresponding to a standard Young tableau, we completely characterize for which shapes $\lambda/\mu$ the polytope $P$ is integral. Furthermore, we show that $P$ is a compressed polytope whenever it is integral and corresponds to a standard Young tableau. We conjecture that a similar property hold for arbitrary $w$, namely that $P$ has the integer decomposition property whenever it is integral. Finally, a natural partial ordering on GT-polytopes is introduced that provides information about integrality and the integer decomposition property, which implies the conjecture for certain shapes.Comment: 23 pages. Accepted for publication in the European Journal of Combinatoric

Shifted symmetric functions and multirectangular coordinates of Young diagrams

In this paper, we study shifted Schur functions $S_\mu^\star$, as well as a new family of shifted symmetric functions $\mathfrak{K}_\mu$ linked to Kostka numbers. We prove that both are polynomials in multi-rectangular coordinates, with nonnegative coefficients when written in terms of falling factorials. We then propose a conjectural generalization to the Jack setting. This conjecture is a lifting of Knop and Sahi's positivity result for usual Jack polynomials and resembles recent conjectures of Lassalle. We prove our conjecture for one-part partitions.Comment: 2nd version: minor modifications after referee comment

Around multivariate Schmidt-Spitzer theorem

Given an arbitrary complex-valued infinite matrix A and a positive integer n we introduce a naturally associated polynomial basis B_A of C[x0...xn]. We discuss some properties of the locus of common zeros of all polynomials in B_A having a given degree m; the latter locus can be interpreted as the spectrum of the m*(m+n)-submatrix of A formed by its m first rows and m+n first columns. We initiate the study of the asymptotics of these spectra when m goes to infinity in the case when A is a banded Toeplitz matrix. In particular, we present and partially prove a conjectural multivariate analog of the well-known Schmidt-Spitzer theorem which describes the spectral asymptotics for the sequence of principal minors of an arbitrary banded Toeplitz matrix. Finally, we discuss relations between polynomial bases B_A and multivariate orthogonal polynomials

LLT polynomials, chromatic quasisymmetric functions and graphs with cycles

We use a Dyck path model for unit-interval graphs to study the chromatic quasisymmetric functions introduced by Shareshian and Wachs, as well as vertical strip --- in particular, unicellular LLT polynomials. We show that there are parallel phenomena regarding $e$-positivity of these two families of polynomials. In particular, we give several examples where the LLT polynomials behave like a "mirror image" of the chromatic quasisymmetric counterpart. The Dyck path model is also extended to circular arc digraphs to obtain larger families of polynomials. This circular extensions of LLT polynomials has not been studied before. A lot of the combinatorics regarding unit interval graphs carries over to this more general setting, and we prove several statements regarding the $e$-coefficients of chromatic quasisymmetric functions and LLT polynomials. In particular, we believe that certain $e$-positivity conjectures hold in all these families above. Furthermore, we study vertical-strip LLT polynomials, for which there is no natural chromatic quasisymmetric counterpart. These polynomials are essentially modified Hall--Littlewood polynomials, and are therefore of special interest. In this more general framework, we are able to give a natural combinatorial interpretation for the $e$-coefficients for the line graph and the cycle graph, in both the chromatic and the LLT setting.Comment: 39 page