In
mathematics
Mathematics is a field of study that discovers and organizes methods, Mathematical theory, theories and theorems that are developed and Mathematical proof, proved for the needs of empirical sciences and mathematics itself. There are many ar ...
, an affine Hecke algebra is the
algebra
Algebra is a branch of mathematics that deals with abstract systems, known as algebraic structures, and the manipulation of expressions within those systems. It is a generalization of arithmetic that introduces variables and algebraic ope ...
associated to an
affine Weyl group
In mathematics, a Coxeter group, named after H. S. M. Coxeter, is an abstract group that admits a formal description in terms of reflections (or kaleidoscopic mirrors). Indeed, the finite Coxeter groups are precisely the finite Euclidean reflec ...
, and can be used to
prove Macdonald's constant term conjecture
In mathematics, Macdonald polynomials ''P''λ(''x''; ''t'',''q'') are a family of orthogonal symmetric polynomials in several variables, introduced by Macdonald in 1987. He later introduced a non-symmetric generalization in 1995. Macdonald orig ...
for
Macdonald polynomial
In mathematics, Macdonald polynomials ''P''λ(''x''; ''t'',''q'') are a family of orthogonal symmetric polynomials in several variables, introduced by Macdonald in 1987. He later introduced a non-symmetric generalization in 1995. Macdonald orig ...
s.
Definition
Let
be a Euclidean space of a finite dimension and
an
affine root system
In mathematics, an affine root system is a root system of affine-linear functions on a Euclidean space. They are used in the classification of affine Lie algebras and superalgebras, and semisimple ''p''-adic algebraic groups, and correspond to fa ...
on
. An affine Hecke algebra is a certain
associative algebra
In mathematics, an associative algebra ''A'' over a commutative ring (often a field) ''K'' is a ring ''A'' together with a ring homomorphism from ''K'' into the center of ''A''. This is thus an algebraic structure with an addition, a mult ...
that deforms the
group algebra