Directed Polymers in Complex-Valued Random Environments on the Tree

Abstract

We consider a model of directed polymers on regular trees with complex-valued random weights introduced by Cook and Derrida [CD90] and studied mathematically by Derrida, Evans and Speer [DES93]. In addition to the usual weak-disorder and strong-disorder regimes, the phase diagram of the model contains a third region due to the effects of the random phases that cannot be observed in the model with positive weights. In this work, we extend the results of [DES93] in two directions. First, we remove the hypothesis on the independence of the random radii and random phases of the environment from most of the phase diagram, and second, under mild assumptions on the law of the environment, we strengthen the convergence of the free energy (shown to hold in probability in [DES93]) to an almost sure convergence. Along the way, many of the arguments of [DES93] are simplified.