Coxeter-Catalan combinatorics and Temperley-Lieb algebras

TL;DR

This paper establishes bijections between noncrossing partitions and fully commutative elements in type A, linking Coxeter combinatorics with Temperley-Lieb algebras through explicit base change descriptions.

Contribution

It introduces new bijections connecting noncrossing partitions and fully commutative elements, and describes the triangular base changes between different bases of Temperley-Lieb algebras.

Findings

Bijections between noncrossing partitions and fully commutative elements

Explicit description of triangular base changes between bases

Introduction of exotic lattice structures on noncrossing partitions

Abstract

We introduce bijections between generalized type $A_n$ noncrossing partitions (that is, associated to arbitrary standard Coxeter elements) and fully commutative elements of the same type. The latter index the diagram basis of the classical Temperley-Lieb algebra, while for each choice of standard Coxeter element the corresponding noncrossing partitions also index a basis, given by the images in the Temperley-Lieb algebra of the simple elements of the dual Garside structure (associated to this choice of standard Coxeter element) of the Artin braid group on $n+1$ strands. We then show that our bijections come from triangular base changes between the diagram basis and the various bases indexed by noncrossing partitions, by explicitly describing the orders giving triangularity. These orders were introduced in a joint paper with Williams and provide exotic lattice structures on noncrossing partitions. Several combinatorial objects are introduced along the way, including an involution on the set of noncrossing partitions.