Explicit determinant formulas are presented for the $tau$ functions of the generalized Painleve equations of type $A$. This result allows an interpretation of the $tau$-functions as the Plucker coordinates of the universal Grassmann manifold.
We investigate the structure of $tau$-functions for the elliptic difference Painleve equation of type $E_8$. Introducing the notion of ORG $tau$-functions for the $E_8$ lattice, we construct some particular solutions which are expressed in terms of elliptic hypergeometric integrals. Also, we discuss how this construction is related to the framework of lattice $tau$-functions associated with the configuration of generic nine points in the projective plane.
A series of systems of nonlinear equations with affine Weyl group symmetry of type $A^{(1)}_l$ is studied. This series gives a generalization of Painleve equations $P_{IV}$ and $P_{V}$ to higher orders.
We use the Whittaker vectors and the Drinfeld Casimir element to show that eigenfunctions of the difference Toda Hamiltonian can be expressed via fermionic formulas. Motivated by the combinatorics of the fermionic formulas we use the representation theory of the quantum groups to prove a number of identities for the coefficients of the eigenfunctions.
A unified approach is given to kernel functions which intertwine Ruijsenaars difference operators of type A and of type BC. As an application of the trigonometric cases, new explicit formulas for Koornwinder polynomials attached to single columns and single rows are derived.
Discrete Painleve equations are nonlinear, nonautonomous difference equations of second-order. They have coefficients that are explicit functions of the independent variable $n$ and there are three different types of equations according to whether the coefficient functions are linear, exponential or elliptic functions of $n$. In this paper, we focus on the elliptic type and give a review of the construction of such equations on the $E_8$ lattice. The first such construction was given by Sakai cite{SakaiH2001:MR1882403}. We focus on recent developments giving rise to more examples of elliptic discrete Painleve equations.