LLT polynomials, elementary symmetric functions and melting lollipops

Abstract: We conjecture an explicit positive combinatorial formula for the expansion of unicellular LLT polynomials in the elementary symmetric basis. This is an analogue of the Shareshian-Wachs conjecture and previously studied by Panova and the author in 2018. We show that the conjecture for unicellular LLT polynomials implies a similar formula for vertical-strip LLT polynomials. We prove positivity in the elementary basis in for the class of graphs called `melting lollipops' previously considered by Huh, Nam and Yoo. This is done by proving a curious relationship between a generalization of charge and orientations of unit-interval graphs. We also provide short bijective proofs of Lee's three-term recurrences for unicellular LLT polynomials and we show that these recurrences are enough to generate all unicellular LLT polynomials associated with abelian area sequences.