$K$-$k$-Schur functions are $k$-Schur positive

Abstract

The $k$-Schur functions (resp., $K$-$k$-Schur functions) are the symmetric function representatives of Schubert classes in the homology (resp., $K$-homology) of the affine Grassmannian of type $A$. We prove that every $K$-$k$-Schur function is a nonnegative integer linear combination in the basis of $k$-Schur functions. This settles a conjecture by Lam, Schilling and Shimozono. The proof relies on realizations of $k$-Schur and $K$-$k$-Schur functions as Catalan and Katalan functions, respectively.