Zeros in tables of characters for the groups Sn and An

Abstract

In the representation theory of symmetric groups, for each partition α of a natural number n, the partition h(α) of n is defined so as to obtain a certain set of zeros in the table of characters for Sn. Namely, h(α) is the greatest (under the lexicographic ordering ≤) partition among β ∈ P(n) such that χα(gβ) ≠ 0. Here, χα is an irreducible character of Sn, indexed by a partition α, and gβ is a conjugacy class of elements in Sn, indexed by a partition β. We point out an extra set of zeros in the table that we are dealing with. For every non self-associated partition α ∈ P(n), the partition f(α) of n is defined so that f(α) is greatest among the partitions β of n which are opposite in sign to h(α) and are such that χα(gβ) ≠ 0 (Thm. 1). Also, for any self-associated partition α of n > 1, we construct a partition $$\tilde f$$ (α) ∈ P(n) such that $$\tilde f$$ (α) is greatest among the partitions β of n which are distinct from h(α) and are such that χα(gβ) ≠ 0 (Thm. 2).