Factorisation of quasi K-matrices for quantum symmetric pairs

Abstract

Abstract The theory of quantum symmetric pairs provides a universal K-matrix which is an analog of the universal R-matrix for quantum groups. The main ingredient in the construction of the universal K-matrix is a quasi K-matrix which has so far only been constructed recursively. In this paper we restrict to the cases where the underlying Lie algebra is $$\mathfrak {sl}_n$$ sl n or the Satake diagram has no black dots. In these cases we give an explicit formula for the quasi K-matrix as a product of quasi K-matrices for Satake diagrams of rank one. This factorisation depends on the restricted Weyl group of the underlying symmetric Lie algebra in the same way as the factorisation of the quasi R-matrix depends on the Weyl group of the Lie algebra. We conjecture that our formula holds in general.