Factorization and vanishing of Schur polynomials twisted by roots of unity and reciprocal pairs

Abstract

Let $\mu_t$ be the full set of $t$-th roots of unity. Adjoining $r$ free reciprocal pairs gives a two-parameter family of alphabets; we settle three parts of it. At $r=1$, for every $t\ge2$ and every $\lambda$ with at most $t+2$ parts, $s_\lambda(\mu_t,z,z^{-1})$ is a signed product of exactly three factors over a fixed denominator, or zero, the arguments read off core and quotient. What it sees of $\lambda$ is a multiset of three integers and a sign, and exactly that: two partitions of any sizes share a nonzero value if and only if they agree on that datum. The proof is a Laplace expansion along the $t$ frozen rows with one cancellation lemma, and delivers the sign, already Littlewood's. At $t=2$ and every $r$, $s_\lambda(1,-1,z_1^{\pm1},\dots,z_r^{\pm1})$ vanishes exactly when the beta set has constant parity or $\lambda$ is self-complementary of odd width; that direction is a corollary of complementation over an index family Ayyer and Behrend single out, the converse an extremal argument in the degree filtration, modulo one rigidity theorem for Schur products. Equivalently: exactly those $V_\lambda$ restrict to $O(N,\mathbb{C})$ $\det$-stably. At odd $t$ and every $r$ it vanishes exactly when a residue class is absent, at no external cost. And for every $t$ and $r$, a reflection of the beta set's excess part with one increment hitting its centre forces vanishing. Three consequences of the first. A vanishing criterion: an empty residue class, or two distinguished classes concentric as intervals, the second only for even $t$. An extension of an independence criterion of Ayyer-Kumari: on the reciprocal locus it acquires one further family, classified by core and quotient. And at $t=2$ a $(-1)$-enumeration of plane partitions in a box refined by a parameter that stays free. The factorization is isolated: it fails under each of four deformations of the alphabet, for one reason.