Quantum immanants, double Young-Capelli bitableaux and Schur shifted symmetric functions

We propose a new method for a unified study of some of the main features of the theory of the center $\boldsymbol{\zeta}(n)$ of the enveloping algebra U(gl(n)) and of the algebra $\Lambda^*(n)$ of shifted symmetric polynomials, that allows the whole theory to be developed, in a transparent and concise way, from the representation-theoretic point of view, that is entirely in the center of U(gl(n)). Our methodological innovation is the systematic use of the superalgebraic method of virtual variables for gl(n), which is, in turn, an extension of Capelli's method of ``variabili ausiliarie''. The passage $n \rightarrow \infty$ for the algebras $\boldsymbol{\zeta}(n)$ and $\Lambda^*(n)$ is here obtained both as direct and inverse limit in the category of filtered algebras. The present approach leads to proofs that are almost direct consequences of the definitions and constructions: they often reduce to a few lines computation.