Homomesy of Tropical $T$-systems: Finite Type

Abstract

In 2007, Fomin and Zelevinsky introduced the bipartite belt, a sequence of bipartite cluster mutations whose exchange relations form a discrete dynamical system. For each Dynkin diagram, this system is periodic, as a special case of Zamolodchikov periodicity. In the associated tropical dynamics, every mutation along the belt can be naturally colored red or blue, according to which term attains the maximum in the tropical exchange relation. This gives a red-blue statistic on tropical orbits. We prove that this statistic is homomesic, i.e. that the average numbers of red and blue mutations are independent of the orbit. Moreover, the number of red mutations is given by the number of roots in the associated root system. This resolves a conjecture of the first author. In the process we introduce the Zamolodchikov fan, which is closely related to the positive tropical Grassmannian, and may be of independent interest.