Keys and Demazure crystals for Kac–Moody algebras

Abstract

The Key map is an important tool in the determination of the Demazure crystals associated to Kac–Moody algebras. In finite type A, it can be computed in the tableau realization of crystals by a simple combinatorial procedure due to Lascoux and Schützenberger. We show that this procedure is a part of a more general construction holding in the Kac–Moody case that we illustrate in finite types and affine type A. In affine type A, we introduce higher level generalizations of core partitions which are expected to play an important role in the representation theory of Ariki–Koike algebras.