Nil-Brauer categorifies the split iquantum group of rank one

Abstract

We prove that the Grothendieck ring of the monoidal category of finitely generated graded projective modules for the nil-Brauer category is isomorphic to an integral form of the split iquantum group of rank one. Under this isomorphism, the indecomposable graded projective modules correspond to the icanonical basis. We also derive character formulae for irreducible graded modules and deduce various branching rules.