Is a complete homogeneous symmetric polynomial irreducible?

EDIT : prompted by Will Sawin's comment, the argument now works for every $n \geq 3$. Thanks !

The polynomial $h_a(x_1,\ldots,x_n)$ is irreducible for every $a \geq 1$ and $n \geq 3$.

Recall that if $h_a = FG$ with $F$ and $G$ non constant then $F$ and $G$ have to be homogenous. By Bézout's theorem, the hypersurfaces $F=0$ and $G=0$ intersect in the projective space $\mathbf{P}^{n-1}(\mathbf{C})$ since $n \geq 3$. This gives a singular point on the hypersurface $h_a=0$. So it suffices to prove that $h_a,\frac{\partial h_a}{\partial x_1},\ldots,\frac{\partial h_a}{\partial x_n}$ have no common zero in $\mathbf{C}^n \backslash \{0\}$. This fact is true for every $a \geq 1$ and $n \geq 2$, and we prove this by induction.

For $a=1$ it is easy. For $n=2$ it amounts to the fact that the polynomial $T^a+\cdots+T+1 = (T^{a+1}-1)/(T-1)$ has distinct roots.

In general, we have $$h_a = \sum_{a_1+\cdots+a_n=a} x_1^{a_1} \cdots x_n^{a_n}$$ so that $$\frac{\partial h_a}{\partial x_i} = \sum_{a_1+\cdots+a_n=a-1} (a_i+1) x_1^{a_1} \cdots x_n^{a_n}.$$ Note that $\sum_{i=1}^n \frac{\partial h_a}{\partial x_i} = (a+n-1) h_{a-1}$. Moreover $h_a=x_i h_{a-1}+R$ for some polynomial $R$ not depending on $x_i$, so that $$\frac{\partial h_a}{\partial x_i}=h_{a-1}+x_i \frac{\partial h_{a-1}}{\partial x_i}.$$ If $x=(x_1,\ldots,x_n)$ is a common zero of $h_a$ and all its partial derivatives then $h_{a-1}(x)=0$ and $x_i \frac{\partial h_{a-1}}{\partial x_i}(x)=0$ for all $i$. By induction, we must have $x_i=0$ for some $i$. Assume for example $x_n=0$. Then $(x_1,\ldots,x_{n-1}) \in \mathbf{C}^{n-1}$ provides in fact a common zero of $h_a(x_1,\ldots,x_{n-1})$ and all its partial derivatives, so applying the induction hypothesis for $n-1$ we get $x=0$.

You were probably mainly interested in the case of $a\le n$. Here's a quick counterexample for $a>n$, letting $n=1$ and $a=2$. Notice then that $h_2 = (h_1)^2$.

If there were a factorization with $a\le n$, it would need to involve nonsymmetric polynomials. But since $S$ is a unique factorization domain, this would mean for any nonsymmetric factor, we would also need all the elements of its orbit as factors. While I was editing this, Will Sawin came up with an elegant proof, whereas I was just grinding through cases, so I will omit those cases.

Since Will mentions still needing the base case of $n=a=3$, notice that we would need a nonsymmetric factor, which means a nonsymmetric factor with either (a) terms of the form $x_ix_j^2$, with nontrivial orbit, yielding too high a degree, or (b) it has terms of the form $x_i$ with some included and some omitted, contradicting the product including all $x_i^3$ terms, or (c) it has some terms $x_ix_j$ with $i\ne j$ and omits others, again necessitating other factors in the orbit, giving too high a degree for the product, or (d) it has some terms $x_i^2$ and not others, giving the same contradiction.

To go further in Patricia's direction, take $n=2$ and $a=3$. Then $h_a=(x+y)(x^2+y^2)$.