The center of the wreath product of symmetric group algebras

We consider the wreath product of two symmetric groups as a group of blocks permutations and we study its conjugacy classes. We give a polynomiality property for the structure coefficients of the center of the wreath product of symmetric group algebras. This allows us to recover an old result of Farahat and Higman about the polynomiality of the structure coefficients of the center of the symmetric group algebra and to generalize our recent result about the polynomiality property of the structure coefficients of the center of the hyperoctahedral group algebra.

RSK Insertion for Set Partitions and Diagram Algebras

We give combinatorial proofs of two identities from the representation theory of the partition algebra ${\Bbb C} A_k(n)$, $n \ge 2k$. The first is $n^k = \sum_\lambda f^\lambda m_k^\lambda$, where the sum is over partitions $\lambda$ of $n$, $f^\lambda$ is the number of standard tableaux of shape $\lambda$, and $m_k^\lambda$ is the number of "vacillating tableaux" of shape $\lambda$ and length $2k$. Our proof uses a combination of Robinson-Schensted-Knuth insertion and jeu de taquin. The second identity is $B(2k) = \sum_\lambda (m_k^\lambda)^2$, where $B(2k)$ is the number of set partitions of $\{1, \ldots, 2k\}$. We show that this insertion restricts to work for the diagram algebras which appear as subalgebras of the partition algebra: the Brauer, Temperley-Lieb, planar partition, rook monoid, planar rook monoid, and symmetric group algebras.