Article ID Journal Published Year Pages File Type
4587387 Journal of Algebra 2009 23 Pages PDF
Abstract

It is well known that the representation theory of the finite group of unipotent upper-triangular matrices Un over a finite field is a wild problem. By instead considering approximately irreducible representations (supercharacters), one obtains a rich combinatorial theory analogous to that of the symmetric group, where we replace partition combinatorics with set-partitions. This paper studies Diaconis–Isaacs' concept of superinduction in pattern groups. While superinduction shares many desirable properties with usual induction, it no longer takes characters to characters. We begin by finding sufficient conditions guaranteeing that superinduction is in fact induction. It turns out for two natural embeddings of Um in Un, superinduction is induction. We conclude with an explicit combinatorial algorithm for computing this induction analogous to the Pieri-formulas for the symmetric group.

Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering Mathematics Algebra and Number Theory