An equivalence between truncations of categorified quantum groups and Heisenberg categories

Abstract: We introduce a simple diagrammatic 2-category $\mathscr{A}$ that categorifies the image of the Fock space representation of the Heisenberg algebra and the basic representation of $\mathfrak{sl}\infty$. We show that $\mathscr{A}$ is equivalent to a truncation of the Khovanov--Lauda categorified quantum group $\mathscr{U}$ of type $A\infty$, and also to a truncation of Khovanov's Heisenberg 2-category $\mathscr{H}$. This equivalence is a categorification of the principal realization of the basic representation of $\mathfrak{sl}_\infty$. As a result of the categorical equivalences described above, certain actions of $\mathscr{H}$ induce actions of $\mathscr{U}$, and vice versa. In particular, we obtain an explicit action of $\mathscr{U}$ on representations of symmetric groups. We also explicitly compute the Grothendieck group of the truncation of $\mathscr{H}$. The 2-category $\mathscr{A}$ can be viewed as a graphical calculus describing the functors of $i$-induction and $i$-restriction for symmetric groups, together with the natural transformations between their compositions. The resulting computational tool is used to give simple diagrammatic proofs of (apparently new) representation theoretic identities.