Solution (source code)

= Solution

A <partition of an integer> $n$ is a finite sequence $\lambda_1\geq\cdots\geq\lambda_\ell>0$ with sum $n$; append zeros when comparing lengths. Its <Young diagram> has cells $(i,j)$ with $1\leq j\leq\lambda_i$. A <Young tableau> is a bijective filling of these cells by $1,\ldots,n$. Write $R_t,C_t$ for its <row and column stabilizers>, and fix the convention
$$
r_t=\sum_{r\in R_t}r,\qquad
c_t=\sum_{c\in C_t}\operatorname{sgn}(c)c,\qquad
h_t=c_tr_t.
$$
<Permutations> act on entries on the left, with the rightmost factor acting first. This defines the <Young symmetrizer> used throughout. In the <dictionary order on integer partitions>, $\lambda>\mu$ means that at the first differing part $\lambda_i>\mu_i$; equality is allowed in $\geq$.

Suppose there is no row-column collision between $t$ of shape $\lambda$ and $u$ of shape $\mu$. Each column of $u$ contains at most one entry from each row of $t$. The first $k$ rows of $t$ therefore contain at most
$$
\sum_j\min(k,\mu'_j)=\sum_{i=1}^k\mu_i
$$
entries, where $\mu'_j$ is a column length. Thus $\sum_{i\leq k}\lambda_i\leq\sum_{i\leq k}\mu_i$ for every $k$: $\mu$ dominates $\lambda$ in <dominance order on partitions>. If $\lambda\geq\mu$ in <dictionary order on integer partitions>, a first strictly larger part would contradict the corresponding prefix inequality. Hence \b[$\lambda=\mu$].

All the bounds must now be equalities. Every column $j$ of $u$ contains exactly one entry from row $i$ of $t$ whenever $i\leq\lambda'_j$. Choose $r_0\in R_t$ sending that entry to the entry of $t$ in cell $(i,j)$. These prescriptions are bijections within the rows. The columns of $r_0u$ then have exactly the same sets of entries as the columns of $t$, so $r_0u=c_0t$ for some $c_0\in C_t$. Consequently
$$
\boxed{u=r_0^{-1}c_0t,\quad r_0^{-1}\in R_t,\quad c_0\in C_t.}
$$
If a collision was present instead, its two entries supply the first alternative. This proves the <row-column collision lemma>, including the prescribed order of the two stabilizer factors.

We next prove the <Specht module> classification. By <Maschke's theorem>, the <group algebra> $A=\mathbb CS_n$ is a <semisimple algebra>. Use the permitted basic quasi-idempotence of a <Young symmetrizer>,
$$
h_t^2=H_\lambda h_t,\qquad
H_\lambda=\prod_{(i,j)\in\lambda}(\lambda_i-j+\lambda'_j-i+1)\ne0,
$$
and put $e_t=h_t/H_\lambda$. The coefficient of $1$ in $h_t$ is one, because $R_t\cap C_t=\{1\}$, so $e_t\ne0$.

For $\pi\in S_n$, consider $r_t\pi c_t$. A collision between the rows of $t$ and the columns of $\pi t$ gives a <transposition> $\tau\in R_t\cap\pi C_t\pi^{-1}$. Row symmetrization fixes $\tau$, whereas column antisymmetrization changes its sign, so $r_t\pi c_t=0$. If there is no collision, the proved lemma gives $\pi=rc$ with $r\in R_t,c\in C_t$, and
$$
r_t\pi c_t=\operatorname{sgn}(c)r_tc_t.
$$
It follows that $h_t\pi h_t$ is zero or $\operatorname{sgn}(c)H_\lambda h_t$. Since <permutations> span $A$, \b[$e_tAe_t=\mathbb Ce_t$]. In a <semisimple algebra> this means that $e_t$ is a <primitive idempotent>, so $Ae_t=Ah_t$ is an irreducible left module.

If $\lambda>\mu$ in <dictionary order on integer partitions>, the collision lemma applied to every $\pi u$ gives $r_tA c_u=0$, and therefore $h_tA h_u=0$. Since
$$
\operatorname{Hom}_A(Ae_t,Ae_u)\cong e_tAe_u,
$$
the two <simple modules> cannot be isomorphic. Conversely, <Young tableaux> of the same shape are related by a <permutation>, which conjugates their <Young symmetrizers> and gives isomorphic <left ideals>. Finally, the center of $\mathbb CS_n$ has the conjugacy-class sums as a basis. <Conjugacy classes> are indexed by cycle-type partitions, so its dimension is the number of partitions of $n$. The <Artin–Wedderburn theorem> gives exactly that many simple-module isomorphism classes. We have already produced one for each partition. Thus \b[the $Ah_\lambda$ form a complete set of pairwise nonisomorphic <irreducible modules>].