Symmetric polynomials in the symplectic alphabet and their expression via Dickson--Zhukovsky variables

TL;DR

This paper introduces a unique polynomial transformation linking symmetric polynomials in 2n variables to n variables, computes this transformation for key polynomial families, and connects it to Toeplitz matrices and classical group characters.

Contribution

It defines the algebra epimorphism , computes it for various polynomial families, and relates these to Toeplitz matrices and classical group character factorizations.

Findings

 is an algebra epimorphism for symmetric polynomials.

Formulas for  applied to Schur, elementary, homogeneous, and power sum polynomials.

Connections established between polynomial transformations, Toeplitz matrices, and classical group characters.

Abstract

Given a symmetric polynomial $P$ in $2n$ variables, there exists a unique symmetric polynomial $Q$ in $n$ variables such that \[ P(x_1,\ldots,x_n,x_1^{-1},\ldots,x_n^{-1}) =Q(x_1+x_1^{-1},\ldots,x_n+x_n^{-1}). \] We denote this polynomial $Q$ by $\Phi_n(P)$ and show that $\Phi_n$ is an epimorphism of algebras. We compute $\Phi_n(P)$ for several families of symmetric polynomials $P$: symplectic and orthogonal Schur polynomials, elementary symmetric polynomials, complete homogeneous polynomials, and power sums. Some of these formulas were already found by Elouafi (2014) and Lachaud (2016). The polynomials of the form $\Phi_n(\operatorname{s}_{\lambda/\mu}^{(2n)})$, where $\operatorname{s}_{\lambda/\mu}^{(2n)}$ is a skew Schur polynomial in $2n$ variables, arise naturally in the study of the minors of symmetric banded Toeplitz matrices, when the generating symbol is a palindromic Laurent polynomial, and its roots can be written as $x_1,\ldots,x_n,x^{-1}_1,\ldots,x^{-1}_n$. Trench (1987) and Elouafi (2014) found efficient formulas for the determinants of symmetric banded Toeplitz matrices. We show that these formulas are equivalent to the result of Ciucu and Krattenthaler (2009) about the factorization of the characters of classical groups.