Dimensions of irreducible modules for partition algebras and tensor power multiplicities for symmetric and alternating groups

Abstract

The partition algebra $\mathsf{P}_k(n)$ and the symmetric group $\mathsf{S}_n$ are in Schur-Weyl duality on the $k$-fold tensor power $\mathsf{M}_n^{\otimes k}$ of the permutation module $\mathsf{M}_n$ of $\mathsf{S}_n$, so there is a surjection $\mathsf{P}_k(n) \to \mathsf{Z}_k(n) := \mathsf{End}_{\mathsf{S}_n}(\mathsf{M}_n^{\otimes k}),$ which is an isomorphism when $n \ge 2k$. We prove a dimension formula for the irreducible modules of the centralizer algebra $\mathsf{Z}_k(n)$ in terms of Stirling numbers of the second kind. Via Schur-Weyl duality, these dimensions equal the multiplicities of the irreducible $\mathsf{S}_n$-modules in $\mathsf{M}_n^{\otimes k}$. Our dimension expressions hold for any $n \geq 1$ and $k\ge0$. Our methods are based on an analog of Frobenius reciprocity that we show holds for the centralizer algebras of arbitrary finite groups and their subgroups acting on a finite-dimensional module. This enables us to generalize the above result to various analogs of the partition algebra including the centralizer algebra for the alternating group acting on $\mathsf{M}_n^{\otimes k}$ and the quasi-partition algebra corresponding to tensor powers of the reflection representation of $\mathsf{S}_n$.