On the Center of the Brauer Algebra

Using the determination of conjugacy classes in an earlier paper, we study the center of the Brauer algebra. In the case of finite groups, conjugacy class sums determine the center of the group algebra. In the case of the Brauer algebra the corresponding class sums only yield a basis of the centralizer of the symmetric group in the Brauer algebra. However, we exhibit an explicit algorithm to determine conditions for a centralizer element to be central and show how to compute a basis for the center using these methods. We will outline how this can be used to compute blocks over fields of arbitrary characteristic. We will also show that similar methods can be applied for computing a basis of the center of the walled Brauer algebra.