Shift Operators and Factorial Symmetric Functions

A new class of symmetric functions called factorial Schur symmetric functions has recently been discovered in connection with a branch of mathematical physics. We align this theory more closely with the s tandard symmetric function theory, giving the factorial Schur function a tableau definition, introducing a shift operator and a new generat ing function with which we extend to factorial symmetric functions proofs of various determinantal identities for classical symmetric functions, and defining a new factorial symmetric func t ion the factorial e lementary symmetric function. © 1995 Academic Press, Inc.