Cells, cacti, and the asymptotic algebra

Abstract

We prove that the action of the cactus group on a Coxeter group defined by Losev and Bonnafé can be realised as an action on the asymptotic algebra of the Hecke algebra, thus resolving a conjecture of Rouquier and White. We prove this in the setting of general (potentially unequal) parameters, conditional on Lusztig's conjectures P1-P15, which are known to hold in the equal parameter case.