  Schur elements play a powerful role in the representation theory of symmetric
algebras. In the case of the Ariki-Koike algebra, Schur elements are Laurent
polynomials whose factors determine when Specht modules are projective
irreducible and whether the algebra is semisimple. Formulas for the Schur
elements of the Ariki-Koike algebra have been independently obtained first by
Geck, Iancu and Malle, and later by Mathas. The aim of this note is to give a
cancellation-free formula for these polynomials, so that their factors can be
easily read and programmed.
