Computing the $q$-Multiplicity of the Positive Roots of $\mathfrak{sl}_{r+1}(\mathbb{C})$ and Products of Fibonacci Numbers

Abstract

Using Kostant's weight multiplicity formula, we describe and enumerate the terms contributing a nonzero value to the multiplicity of a positive root $\mu$ in the adjoint representation of $\mathfrak{sl}_{r+1}(\mathbb{C})$, which we denote $L(\tilde{\alpha})$, where $\tilde{\alpha}$ is the highest root of $\mathfrak{sl}_{r+1}(\mathbb{C})$. We prove that the number of terms contributing a nonzero value in the multiplicity of the positive root $\mu=\alpha_i+\alpha_{i+1}+\cdots+\alpha_j$ with $1\leq i\leq j\leq r$ in $L(\tilde{\alpha})$ is given by the product $F_{i}\cdot F_{r-j+1}$, where $F_n$ is the $n^{\text{th}}$ Fibonacci number. Using this result, we show that the $q$-multiplicity of the positive root $\mu=\alpha_i+\alpha_{i+1}+\cdots+\alpha_j$ with $1\leq i\leq j\leq r$ in the representation $L(\tilde{\alpha})$ is precisely $q^{r-h(\mu)}$, where $h(\mu)=j-i+1$ is the height of the positive root $\mu$. Setting $q=1$ recovers the known result that the multiplicity of a positive root in the adjoint representation of $\mathfrak{sl}_{r+1}(\mathbb{C})$ is one.