Random surfaces enumerating algebraic curves
These are notes from my lecture at 4ECM in Stockholm (June 2004).
math-ph↗
arXiv subjects
Andrei Okounkov
Publications and source records attributed to Andrei Okounkov.
Planar dimers and Harnack curves
In this paper we study the connection between dimers and Harnack curves discovered in math-ph/0311005. We prove that every Harnack curve arises as a spectral curve of some dimer model. We also prove that the space of Harnack curve of given degree is homeomorphic to a closed octant and that the areas of the amoeba holes and the distances between the amoeba tentacles give these global coordinates. We characterize Harnack curves of genus zero as spectral curves of isoradial dimers and also as minimizers of the volume under their Ronkin function with given boundary conditions.
math.AG↗
The theta characteristic of a branched covering
We give a group-theoretic description of the parity of a pull-back of a theta characteristic under a branched covering. It involves lifting monodromy of the covering to the semidirect product of the symmetric and Clifford groups, known as the Sergeev group. As an application, we enumerate torus coverings with respect to their ramification and parity and, in particular, show that the corresponding all-degree generating functions are quasimodular forms.
math.AG↗
Quantum Calabi-Yau and Classical Crystals
We propose a new duality involving topological strings in the limit of large string coupling constant. The dual is described in terms of a classical statistical mechanical model of crystal melting, where the temperature is inverse of the string coupling constant. The crystal is a discretization of the toric base of the Calabi-Yau with lattice length $g_s$. As a strong evidence for this duality we recover the topological vertex in terms of the statistical mechanical probability distribution for crystal melting. We also propose a more general duality involving the dimer problem on periodic lattices and topological A-model string on arbitrary local toric threefolds. The $(p,q)$ 5-brane web, dual to Calabi-Yau, gets identified with the transition regions of rigid dimer configurations.
hep-th↗
Dimers and Amoebae
We study random surfaces which arise as height functions of random perfect matchings (a.k.a. dimer configurations) on an weighted, bipartite, doubly periodic graph G embedded in the plane. We derive explicit formulas for the surface tension and local Gibbs measure probabilities of these models. The answers involve a certain plane algebraic curve, which is the spectral curve of the Kasteleyn operator of the graph. For example, the surface tension is the Legendre dual of the Ronkin function of the spectral curve. The amoeba of the spectral curve represents the phase diagram of the dimer model. Further, we prove that the spectral curve of a dimer model is always a real curve of special type, namely it is a Harnack curve. This implies many qualitative and quantitative statement about the behavior of the dimer model, such as existence of smooth phases, decay rate of correlations, growth rate of height function fluctuations, etc.
math-ph↗
The uses of random partitions
These are extended notes for my talk at the ICMP 2003 in Lisbon. Our goal here is to demonstrate how natural and fundamental random partitions are from many different points of view. We discuss various natural measures on partitions, their correlation functions, limit shapes, and how they arise in applications, in particular, in the Gromov-Witten and Seiberg-Witten theory.
math-ph↗
Symmetric functions and random partitions
These are (not updated) notes from the lectures I gave at the NATO ASI ``Symmetric Functions 2001'' at the Isaac Newton Institute in Cambridge (June 25 -- July 6, 2001). Their goal is an informal introduction to asymptotic combinatorics related to partitions.
math.CO↗
Random trees and moduli of curves
These are (not updated) notes from the lectures I gave in St.Petersburg in July of 2001. Their goal is to give an expository account of the proof of Kontsevich's combinatorial formula for intersections on moduli spaces of curves following math.AG/0101147.
math.CO↗
Virasoro constraints for target curves
We prove generalized Virasoro constraints for the relative Gromov-Witten theories of all nonsingular target curves. Descendents of the even cohomology classes are studied first by localization, degeneration, and completed cycle methods. Descendents of the odd cohomology are then controlled by monodromy and geometric vanishing relations. As an outcome of our results, the relative theories of target curves are completely and explicitly determined.
math.AG↗
Seiberg-Witten Theory and Random Partitions
We study N=2 supersymmetric four dimensional gauge theories, in a certain N=2 supergravity background, called Omega-background. The partition function of the theory in the Omega-background can be calculated explicitly. We investigate various representations for this partition function: a statistical sum over random partitions, a partition function of the ensemble of random curves, a free fermion correlator. These representations allow to derive rigorously the Seiberg-Witten geometry, the curves, the differentials, and the prepotential. We study pure N=2 theory, as well as the theory with matter hypermultiplets in the fundamental or adjoint representations, and the five dimensional theory compactified on a circle.
hep-th↗
Correlation function of Schur process with application to local geometry of a random 3-dimensional Young diagram
Schur process is a time-dependent analog of the Schur measure on partitions studied in math.RT/9907127. Our first result is that the correlation functions of the Schur process are determinants with a kernel that has a nice contour integral representation in terms of the parameters of the process. This general result is then applied to a particular specialization of the Schur process, namely to random 3-dimensional Young diagrams. The local geometry of a large random 3-dimensional diagram is described in terms of a determinantal point process on a 2-dimensional lattice with the incomplete beta function kernel (which generalizes the discrete sine kernel). A brief discussion of the universality of this answer concludes the paper.
math.CO↗
The equivariant Gromov-Witten theory of P^1
We express all equivariant Gromov-Witten invariants of the projective line as matrix elements of explicit operators acting in the Fock space. As a consequence, we prove the equivariant theory is governed by the 2-Toda hierarchy of Ueno and Takasaki. This is the second in a sequence of three papers devoted to the Gromov-Witten theory of nonsingular target curves (the first paper of the series is math.AG/0204305).
math.AG↗
Multipoint series of Gromov-Witten invariants of CP^1
We give explicit formulas for the multipoint series of Gromov-Witten invariants of CP^1. We use the recursions of the Toda hierarchy to calculate these in degree 0, and the Toda equation and the degree 0 formulas to extend the calculation to higher degrees. We also obtain formulas for the Hodge series for the Hodge classes lambda_g and lambda_{g-1}.
math.AG↗
Gromov-Witten theory, Hurwitz theory, and completed cycles
We establish an explicit equivalence between the stationary sector of the Gromov-Witten theory of a target curve X and the enumeration of Hurwitz coverings of X in the basis of completed cycles. The stationary sector is formed, by definition, by the descendents of the point class. Completed cycles arise naturally in the theory of shifted symmetric functions. Using this equivalence, we give a complete description of the stationary Gromov-Witten theory of the projective line and elliptic curve. Toda equations for the relative stationary theory of the projective line are derived.
math.AG↗
A remark on Fourier pairing and binomial formula for Macdonald polynomials
We give a concise direct proof of the orthogonality of interpolation Macdonald polynomials with respect to the Fourier pairing and briefly discuss some immediate applications of this orthogonality, such as the symmetry of the Fourier pairing and the binomial formula.
math.QA↗
Gromov-Witten theory, Hurwitz numbers, and Matrix models, I
The main goal of the paper is to present a new approach via Hurwitz numbers to Kontsevich's combinatorial/matrix model for the intersection theory of the moduli space of curves. A secondary goal is to present an exposition of the circle of ideas involved: Hurwitz numbers, Gromov-Witten theory of the projective line, matrix integrals, and the theory of random trees. Further topics will be treated in a sequel.
math.AG↗
Generating functions for intersection numbers on moduli spaces of curves
Using the connection between intersection theory on the Deligne-Mumford spaces and the edge scaling of the GUE matrix model (see math.CO/9903176, math.AG/0101147), we express the n-point functions for the intersection numbers as n-dimensional error-function-type integrals and also give a derivation of Witten's KdV equations using the higher Fay identities of Adler, Shiota, and van Moerbeke.
math.AG↗
Combinatorial formula for Macdonald polynomials, Bethe Ansatz, and generic Macdonald polynomials
We give a direct proof of the combinatorial formula for interpolation Macdonald polynomials by introducing certain polynomials, which we call generic Macdonald polynomials, which depend on $d$ additional parameters and specialize to all Macdonald polynomials of degree $d$. The form of these generic polynomials is that of a Bethe eigenfunction and they imitate, on a more elementary level, the $R$-matrix construction of quantum immanants.
math.QA↗