Generating functions for fixed points of the Mullineux map

Abstract

Mullineux defined an involution on the set of $e$-regular partitions of $n$. When $e=p$ is prime, these partitions label irreducible symmetric group modules in characteristic $p$. Mullineux’s conjecture, since proven, was that this “Mullineux map” described the effect on the labels of taking the tensor product with the one-dimensional signature representation. Counting irreducible modules fixed by this tensor product is related to counting irreducible modules for the alternating group $A_n$ in prime characteristic. In 1991, Andrews and Olsson worked out the generating function counting fixed points of Mullineux’s map when $e=p$ is an odd prime (providing evidence in support of Mullineux’s conjecture). In 1998, Bessenrodt and Olsson counted the fixed points in a $p$-block of weight $w$. We extend both results to arbitrary $e$, and determine the corresponding generating functions. When $e$ is odd but not prime the extension is immediate, while $e$ even requires additional work and the results, which are different, have not appeared in the literature.