A new characterization of right keys, and the $m$-symmetric Schur functions at $t=0$

Abstract: The ring $R_m$ of $m$-symmetric functions consists of the formal power series that are symmetric in the variables $x_{m+1},x_{m+2},\dots$ but carry no symmetry in the first $m$ variables. We develop a combinatorial theory for the specialization at $t=0$ of the Schur functions of $R_m$. Our main tool is a new characterization of right key tableaux as suprema of the sets of decreasing subwords of the reading words of the subtableaux of $T$. Being invariant under elementary Knuth transformations, this characterization is compatible with the RSK correspondence. We obtain in this way a generating function over semistandard tableaux for the $m$-symmetric Schur functions at $t=0$, together with a combinatorial proof of a Cauchy identity in $R_m$. The $m$-symmetric Schur functions and their dual are then respectively identified with Demazure atoms and Demazure characters. Restricted to the last $m$ variables, our correspondence specializes to a proof, by ordinary RSK, of Lascoux's nonsymmetric Cauchy identity for Demazure characters and atoms. As further applications, we relate the $m$-symmetric Schur functions at $t=0$ to the almost symmetric Schur functions through a unitriangular change-of-basis matrix, obtain tableau generating functions and Cauchy identities for both families, and derive Jacobi-Trudi type determinantal formulas for three different bases.