Ordered set partitions, generalized coinvariant algebras, and the Delta Conjecture

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new family of quotient algebras generalizing the coinvariant algebra, explores their algebraic and combinatorial properties, and connects their Frobenius series to the Delta Conjecture in algebraic combinatorics.

Contribution

It defines and analyzes the algebra $R_{n,k}$, extending properties of the classical coinvariant algebra and linking its Frobenius series to the Delta Conjecture.

Findings

Hilbert series of $R_{n,k}$ described

Extended monomial bases to $R_{n,k}$

Gr"obner basis for $I_{n,k}$ determined

Abstract

The symmetric group $\mathfrak{S}_n$ acts on the polynomial ring $\mathbb{Q}[\mathbf{x}_n] = \mathbb{Q}[x_1, \dots, x_n]$ by variable permutation. The invariant ideal $I_n$ is the ideal generated by all $\mathfrak{S}_n$-invariant polynomials with vanishing constant term. The quotient $R_n = \frac{\mathbb{Q}[\mathbf{x}_n]}{I_n}$ is called the coinvariant algebra. The coinvariant algebra $R_n$ has received a great deal of study in algebraic and geometric combinatorics. We introduce a generalization $I_{n,k} \subseteq \mathbb{Q}[\mathbf{x}_n]$ of the ideal $I_n$ indexed by two positive integers $k \leq n$. The corresponding quotient $R_{n,k} := \frac{\mathbb{Q}[\mathbf{x}_n]}{I_{n,k}}$ carries a graded action of $\mathfrak{S}_n$ and specializes to $R_n$ when $k = n$. We generalize many of the nice properties of $R_n$ to $R_{n,k}$. In particular, we describe the Hilbert series of $R_{n,k}$, give extensions of the Artin and Garsia-Stanton monomial bases of $R_n$ to $R_{n,k}$, determine the reduced Gr\"obner basis for $I_{n,k}$ with respect to the lexicographic monomial order, and describe the graded Frobenius series of $R_{n,k}$. Just as the combinatorics of $R_n$ are controlled by permutations in $\mathfrak{S}_n$, we will show that the combinatorics of $R_{n,k}$ are controlled by ordered set partitions of $\{1, 2, \dots, n\}$ with $k$ blocks. The {\em Delta Conjecture} of Haglund, Remmel, and Wilson is a generalization of the Shuffle Conjecture in the theory of diagonal coinvariants. We will show that the graded Frobenius series of $R_{n,k}$ is (up to a minor twist) the $t = 0$ specialization of the combinatorial side of the Delta Conjecture. It remains an open problem to give a bigraded $\mathfrak{S}_n$-module $V_{n,k}$ whose Frobenius image is even conjecturally equal to any of the expressions in the Delta Conjecture; our module $R_{n,k}$ solves this problem in the specialization $t = 0$.