Iwahori-metaplectic duality

Abstract

We construct a family of solvable lattice models whose partition functions include $p$-adic Whittaker functions for general linear groups from two very different sources: from Iwahori-fixed vectors and from metaplectic covers. Interpolating between them by Drinfeld twisting, we uncover unexpected relationships between Iwahori and metaplectic Whittaker functions. This leads to new Demazure operator recurrence relations for spherical metaplectic Whittaker functions. In prior work of the authors it was shown that the row transfer matrices of certain lattice models for spherical metaplectic Whittaker functions could be represented as ‘half-vertex operators’ operating on the $q$-Fock space of Kashiwara, Miwa and Stern. In this paper the same is shown for all the members of this more general family of lattice models including the one representing Iwahori Whittaker functions.