Relativistic Toda lattice and equivariant $K$-homology

Abstract: We investigate the phenomenon known as ``quantum equals affine'' in the setting of $T$-equivariant quantum $K$-theory of the flag variety $G/B$, as established by Kato for any semisimple algebraic group $G$. In particular, we focus on the $K$-Peterson isomorphism between the $T$-equivariant quantum $K$-ring $QK_T(SL_n(\mathbb{C})/B)$ and the $T$-equivariant $K$-homology ring $K_^T(\mathrm{Gr}_{SL_n})$ of the affine Grassmannian, after suitable localizations on both sides. Building on an earlier work by Ikeda, Iwao, and Maeno, we present an explicit algebraic realization of the $K$-Peterson map via a rational substitution that sends the generators of the quantum $K$-theory ring to explicit rational expressions in the fundamental generators of $K_^T(\mathrm{Gr}_{SL_n})$, thereby matching the Schubert bases on both sides. Our approach builds on recent developments in the theory of $QK_T(SL_n(\mathbb{C})/B)$ by Maeno, Naito, and Sagaki, as well as the theory of $K$-theoretic double $k$-Schur functions introduced by Ikeda, Shimozono, and Yamaguchi. This concrete formulation provides new insight into the combinatorial structure of the $K$-Peterson isomorphism in the equivariant setting. As an application, we establish a factorization formula for the $K$-theoretic double $k$-Schur function associated with the maximal $k$-irreducible $k$-bounded partition.