Transfer current and pattern fields in spanning trees

Abstract

When a simply connected domain $D\subset{\mathbb{R}}^d$ ($d\ge 2$) is approximated in a "good" way by embedded connected weighted graphs, we prove that the transfer current matrix (defined on the edges of the graph viewed as an electrical network) converges, up to a local weight factor, to the differential of Green's function on $D$. This observation implies that properly rescaled correlations of the spanning tree model and correlations of minimal subconfigurations in the abelian sandpile model have a universal and conformally covariant limit. We further show that, on a periodic approximation of the domain, all pattern fields of the spanning tree model, as well as the minimal-pattern (e.g. zero-height) fields of the sandpile, converge weakly in distribution to Gaussian white noise.