A Morris recursion rule for values of the spin characters of wreath products

Abstract

The classical Murnaghan-Nakayama rule is a recursive formula for computing the values of complex irreducible characters of the symmetric group $S_n$. Alun Morris proved a recursive formula for evaluating the values of irreducible spin characters of $\widetilde{S}_n$, where $\widetilde{S}_n$ is one of the Schur covers of $S_n$ defined by $\widetilde{S}_n:=\langle t_1,t_2,\cdots,t_{n-1},z\ |\ z^2=1,\ t_i^2=z,\ (t_it_{i+1})^3=z, \ t_it_j=zt_jt_i\ \text{if}\ |i-j|>1\rangle$. A recursive formula for evaluating the values of complex irreducible characters of the wreath product $G\wr S_n$, where $G$ is a finite group, was proved by J. Stembridge. In this article, we state and prove a recursive formula to compute the values of the irreducible spin characters of the wreath product $G\wr \widetilde{S}_n$. For the convenience of implementing these recursive formulas, we extend the notion of 0-1 boundary sequence of a Young diagram to shifted Young diagrams.