Polynomial Time Randomised Approximation Schemes for the Tutte Polynomial of Dense Graphs

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Polynomial Time Randomised Approximation Schemes for the Tutte Polynomial of Dense Graphs Polynomial time randomised approximation schemes for the Tutte polynomial of dense graphs Noga Alon∗ Alan Friezey Dominic Welshz Abstract (iii) How many acyclic orientations has G? The Tutte-Gr¨othendieck polynomial T (G; x; y) of a graph Each of these is a special case of the general problem of G encodes numerous interesting combinatorial quanti- evaluating the Tutte polynomial of a graph (or matroid) ties associated with the graph. Its evaluation in various at a particular point of the (x; y)-plane | in other words points in the (x; y) plane give the number of spanning is a Tutte-Gr¨othendieck invariant. Other invariants in- forests of the graph, the number of its strongly connected clude: orientations, the number of its proper k-colorings, the (all terminal) reliability probability of the graph, and var- (iv) the chromatic and flow polynomials of a graph; ious other invariants the exact computation of each of which is well known to be #P -hard. Here we develop (v) the partition function of a Q-state Potts model; a general technique that supplies fully polynomial ran- domised approximation schemes for approximating the (vi) the Jones polynomial of an alternating link; value of T (G; x; y) for any dense graph G, that is, any graph on n vertices whose minimum degree is Ω(n), (vii) the weight enumerator of a linear code over GF (q). whenever x 1 and y 1, and in various additional ≥ ≥ points. This region includes evaluations of reliability and It has been shown in Vertigan and Welsh [19] that apart partition functions of the ferromagnetic Q-state Potts from a few special points and 2 special hyperbolae, the model. exact evaluation of any such invariant is #P -hard even for the very restricted class of planar bipartite graphs. However the question of which points have a fully poly- 1 Introduction nomial randomised approximation scheme (fpras) is wide open. A survey of what is currently known is given in [21], here we prove several new results concerning the Consider the following very simple counting problems existence of a fpras for dense graphs. More precisely, for associated with a graph G. 0 < α < 1, let α denote the set of graphs G = (V; E) with V = n andG δ(G) αn. A graph is α-dense if it is j j ≥ (i) What is the number of connected subgraphs of G? a member of α or, somewhat loosely, dense if we omit the α. G (ii) How many subgraphs of G are forests? Various counting and approximation problems are ∗Department of Mathematics, Raymond and Beverly Sackler known to be easier for graphs of sufficiently high den- Faculty of Exact Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel. sity than for general graphs. The number of perfect Email: [email protected]. Research supported in part by a matchings in bipartite graphs (which is not an evalua- USA-Israeli BSF grant and by the Fund for Basic Research ad- tion of the Tutte polynomial) is one such example. The ministered by the Israel Academy of Sciences. results of Broder [3] and of Jerrum and Sinclair [10] sup- yDepartment of Mathematics, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh PA15213, U.S.A., Supported by NSF grant CCR- ply a fpras for approximating that number for graphs 9225008 on two vertex classes of n vertices each which are (1/4)- zMerton College and Mathematical Institute, Oxford, UK. Re- dense. Dyer, Frieze and Jerrum [5] found an fpras for the search supported in part by ESPRIT RAND. number of Hamilton cycles in graphs which are α-dense 1 when α > 1=2. Annan [2] obtained a fpras for the num- First recall that if A E(G), the rank of A, r(A) is ber of forests of a dense graph (given by the value of the defined by ⊆ Tutte polynomial at (2; 1)). Edwards [6] showed that the number of proper k colorings of sufficiently dense graphs r(A) = V (G) k(A); (given by evaluating the Tutte polynomial at (1 k; 0)) j j − can be computed exactly in polynomial time, whereas− where k(A) is the number of connected components of it is clear that this number cannot be approximated in the graph G : A having vertex set V = V (G) and edge polynomial time for general graphs unless RP = NP . set A. Our main new result is a general technique that supplies It is now straightforward to prove: fully polynomial randomised approximation schemes for The Tutte polynomial T (G; x; y) can be expressed in the approximating the value of T (G; x; y) for any dense form graph G, whenever x 1 and y 1, and in various additional points. ≥ ≥ r(E) r(A) A r(A) T (G; x; y) = (x 1) − (y 1)j |− : The graph terminology used is standard. The complexity X − − A E theory and notation follows Garey and Johnson [8]. The ⊆ matroid terminology follows Oxley [13]. Further details of most of the concepts treated here can be found in These ideas can be extended to matroids - see for exam- Welsh [20]. ple [4] and [20]. 2 Tutte-Gr¨othendieck invariants 3 A catalogue of invariants First consider the following recursive definition of the We now collect together some of the naturally occurring function T (G; x; y) of a graph G, and two independent interpretations of the Tutte polynomial. Throughout G variables x; y. is a graph, M is a matroid and E will denote E(G);E(M) respectively. If G has no edges then T (G; x; y) = 1, otherwise for any e E(G); 2 (3.1) At (1,1) T counts the number of bases of M (span- ning trees in a connected graph). (2.1) T (G; x; y) = T (Ge0 ; x; y)+T (Ge00; x; y) if e is neither a loop nor an isthmus, where Ge0 denotes the deletion (3.2) At (2,1) T counts the number of independent sets of the edge e from G and Ge00 denotes the contraction of M, (forests in a graph). of e in G, (3.3) At (1,2) T counts the number of spanning sets of (2.2) T (G; x; y) = xT (Ge0 ; x; y) e an isthmus, M, that is sets which contain a base. (2.3) T (G; x; y) = yT (Ge00; x; y) e a loop. (3.4) At (2,0), T counts the number of acyclic orienta- tions of G. Stanley [17] also gives interpretations of From this, it is easy to show by induction that T is a T at (m; 0) for general positive integer m, in terms 2-variable polynomial in x; y, which we call the Tutte of acyclic orientations. polynomial of G. (3.5) Another interpretation at (2,0), and this for a dif- In other words, T may be calculated recursively by ferent class of matroids, was discovered by Zaslavsky choosing the edges in any order and repeatedly using [23]. This is in terms of counting the number of (2.1-3) to evaluate T . The remarkable fact is that T is different arrangements of sets of hyperplanes in n- well defined in the sense that the resulting polynomial is dimensional Euclidean space. independent of the order in which the edges are chosen. E d(B) (3.6) T (G; 1; 1) = ( 1)j j( 2) where B is the Alternatively, and this is often the easiest way to prove bicycle− space− of G,− see Read− and Rosenstiehl [15]. properties of T , we can show that T has the following When G is planar it also has interpretations in terms expansion. of the Arf invariant of the associated knot. 2 (3.7) The chromatic polynomial P (G; λ) is given by (3.15) Along the hyperbola xy = 1 when G is planar, T specialises to the Jones polynomial of the alternat- ing link or knot associated with G. This connection P (G; λ) = ( 1)r(E)λk(G)T (G; 1 λ, 0) − − was first discovered by Thistlethwaite [18]. where k(G) is the number of connected components. More details on these topics can be found in Welsh [20] (3.8) The flow polynomial F (G; λ) is given by and other more specialised interpretations can be found in the survey of Brylawski and Oxley [4]. E r(E) F (G; λ) = ( 1)j |− T (G; 0; 1 λ): − − (3.9) The (all terminal) reliability R(G; p) is given by 4 The ferromagnetic random E r(E) r(E) cluster model R(G; p) = qj |− p T (G; 1; 1=q) where q = 1 p. As we mentioned above, as Q varies between 0 < Q < , − T evaluates the partition function of the random cluster1 model. For integer Q this is the Q-state Potts model and In each of the above cases, the interesting quantity (on when Q = 2 it is the Ising model. When x 1 and y 1, the left hand side) is given (up to an easily determined we have the region corresponding to ferromagnetism≥ ≥. In term) by an evaluation of the Tutte polynomial. We shall the case Q = 2 we know from Jerrum and Sinclair [11] use the phrase \specialises to" to indicate this. Thus for that there is a fpras for all G. Here we obtain a similar example, along y = 0, T specialises to the chromatic result for general Q but only for the dense case. polynomial. For the remainder of this paper, except for Sections 8, we It turns out that the hyperbolae Hα defined by assume that we are dealing with the Tutte polynoomial of an α-dense graph G.
Recommended publications
  • Arxiv:1504.02898V2 [Cond-Mat.Stat-Mech] 7 Jun 2015 Keywords: Percolation, Explosive Percolation, SLE, Ising Model, Earth Topography
    Recent advances in percolation theory and its applications Abbas Ali Saberi aDepartment of Physics, University of Tehran, P.O. Box 14395-547,Tehran, Iran bSchool of Particles and Accelerators, Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences (IPM) P.O. Box 19395-5531, Tehran, Iran Abstract Percolation is the simplest fundamental model in statistical mechanics that exhibits phase transitions signaled by the emergence of a giant connected component. Despite its very simple rules, percolation theory has successfully been applied to describe a large variety of natural, technological and social systems. Percolation models serve as important universality classes in critical phenomena characterized by a set of critical exponents which correspond to a rich fractal and scaling structure of their geometric features. We will first outline the basic features of the ordinary model. Over the years a variety of percolation models has been introduced some of which with completely different scaling and universal properties from the original model with either continuous or discontinuous transitions depending on the control parameter, di- mensionality and the type of the underlying rules and networks. We will try to take a glimpse at a number of selective variations including Achlioptas process, half-restricted process and spanning cluster-avoiding process as examples of the so-called explosive per- colation. We will also introduce non-self-averaging percolation and discuss correlated percolation and bootstrap percolation with special emphasis on their recent progress. Directed percolation process will be also discussed as a prototype of systems displaying a nonequilibrium phase transition into an absorbing state. In the past decade, after the invention of stochastic L¨ownerevolution (SLE) by Oded Schramm, two-dimensional (2D) percolation has become a central problem in probability theory leading to the two recent Fields medals.
    [Show full text]
  • Stochastic Analysis: Geometry of Random Processes
    Mathematisches Forschungsinstitut Oberwolfach Report No. 26/2017 DOI: 10.4171/OWR/2017/26 Stochastic Analysis: Geometry of Random Processes Organised by Alice Guionnet, Lyon Martin Hairer, Warwick Gr´egory Miermont, Lyon 28 May – 3 June 2017 Abstract. A common feature shared by many natural objects arising in probability theory is that they tend to be very “rough”, as opposed to the “smooth” objects usually studied in other branches of mathematics. It is however still desirable to understand their geometric properties, be it from a metric, a topological, or a measure-theoretic perspective. In recent years, our understanding of such “random geometries” has seen spectacular advances on a number of fronts. Mathematics Subject Classification (2010): 60xx, 82xx. Introduction by the Organisers The workshop focused on the latest progresses in the study of random geome- tries, with a special emphasis on statistical physics models on regular lattices and random maps, and their connexions with the Gaussian free field and Schramm- Loewner evolutions. The week opened with a spectacular talk by H. Duminil-Copin (based on his work with Raoufi and Tassion), presenting a new, groundbreaking use of decision trees in the context of statistical physics models in order to prove the sharpness of the phase transition, and vastly extending earlier results. Most notably, this new approach allows to circumvent the use of either the BK inequality or of planarity properties. In particular, it applies to the random cluster model FK(d, q) on Zd for every parameter q 1 and dimension d 2. A significant proportion≥ of the talks focused≥ on various and ever growing aspects of discrete random geometries, notably random planar maps, and their links with the planar Gaussian free field (GFF).
    [Show full text]
  • Some Results on the Asymptotic Behavior of Finite Connection Probabilities in Percolation
    NISSUNA UMANA INVESTIGAZIONE SI PUO DIMANDARE VERA SCIENZIA S’ESSA NON PASSA PER LE MATEMATICHE DIMOSTRAZIONI LEONARDO DA VINCI vol. 4 no. 3-4 2016 Mathematics and Mechanics of Complex Systems MASSIMO CAMPANINO AND MICHELE GIANFELICE SOME RESULTS ON THE ASYMPTOTIC BEHAVIOR OF FINITE CONNECTION PROBABILITIES IN PERCOLATION msp MATHEMATICS AND MECHANICS OF COMPLEX SYSTEMS Vol. 4, No. 3-4, 2016 dx.doi.org/10.2140/memocs.2016.4.311 ∩ MM SOME RESULTS ON THE ASYMPTOTIC BEHAVIOR OF FINITE CONNECTION PROBABILITIES IN PERCOLATION MASSIMO CAMPANINO AND MICHELE GIANFELICE We review results of two previous papers on the asymptotic behavior of finite connection probabilities in three or more dimensions for Bernoulli percolation and the Fortuin–Kasteleyn random-cluster model. In the introduction, we prove a multidimensional renewal theorem that is needed for these results and previous results on Ornstein–Zernike behavior; the proof is significantly simpler than that originally derived by Doney (1966) and those of other subsequent works on this subject. 1. Introduction In the last few decades, much progress has been made in the rigorous study of the asymptotic behavior of connection functions in percolation outside the critical point. This problem is related to that of typical fluctuations of clusters and, in two dimensions, of interfaces[Gallavotti 1972; Greenberg and Ioffe 2005]. In the case of the subcritical regime for Bernoulli percolation or the Fortuin– Kasteleyn (FK) random-cluster model on a regular lattice, connection functions, i.e., the probabilities that two points are connected, decay exponentially as the dis- tance between the points tends to infinity [Grimmett 1999; 2006].
    [Show full text]
  • On the Critical Parameters of the Q ≥ 4 Random-Cluster Model on Isoradial Graphs
    On the critical parameters of the q ≥ 4 random-cluster model on isoradial graphs V. Beffara H. Duminil-Copin S. Smirnov Abstract The critical surface for random-cluster model with cluster-weight q ≥ 4 on iso- radial graphs is identified using parafermionic observables. Correlations are also shown to decay exponentially fast in the subcritical regime. While this result is restricted to random-cluster models with q ≥ 4, it extends the recent theorem of [6] to a large class of planar graphs. In particular, the anisotropic random-cluster pvph model on the square lattice are shown to be critical if = q, where pv and (1−pv)(1−ph) ph denote the horizontal and vertical edge-weights respectively. We also provide consequences for Potts models. 1 Introduction 1.1 Motivation Random-cluster models are dependent percolation models introduced by Fortuin and Kasteleyn in 1969 [24]. They have been become an important tool in the study of phase transitions. Among other applications, the spin correlations of Potts models get rephrased as cluster connectivity properties of their random-cluster representations, which allows for the use of geometric techniques, thus leading to several important applications. Nev- ertheless, only few aspects of the random-cluster models are known in full generality. The random-cluster model on a finite connected graph G = (V [G]; E [G]) is a model on edges of this graph, each one being either closed or open. A cluster is a maximal component for the graph composed of all the sites, and of the open edges. The probability of a configuration is proportional to # clusters M pe M (1 − pe) ⋅ q ; e open e closed where the edge-weights pe ∈ [0; 1] (for every e ∈ E [G]) and the cluster-weight q ∈ (0; ∞) are the parameters of the model.
    [Show full text]
  • The Near-Critical Planar FK-Ising Model
    The near-critical planar FK-Ising model Hugo Duminil-Copin Christophe Garban Gábor Pete Abstract We study the near-critical FK-Ising model. First, a determination of the correlation length defined via crossing probabilities is provided. Second, a phenomenon about the near-critical behavior of FK-Ising is highlighted, which is completely missing from the case of standard percolation: in any monotone coupling of FK configurations !p (e.g., in the one introduced in [Gri95]), as one raises p near pc, the new edges arrive in a self-organized way, so that the correlation length is not governed anymore by the number of pivotal edges at criticality. 1 Introduction 2 Phase transition in the random cluster model on Z . The random-cluster model with parameters p [0; 1] and q 1 1 is a probability measure on subgraphs of a finite 2 ≥ graph G = (V; E), defined for all ! E by ⊂ p# open edges(1 p)# closed edgesq# clusters φp;q(!) := − ; Zp;q where Zp;q is the normalization constant such that φp;q is a probability measure. The most classical example of the random-cluster model is bond percolation, which corresponds to the q = 1 case. Even though the random-cluster model can be defined on any graph, 2 we will restrict ourselves to the case of the square lattice Z . Infinite volume measures can be constructed using limits of the above measures along exhaustions by finite subsets (with different boundary conditions: free, wired, etc). Random-cluster models exhibit a 2 phase transition at some critical parameter pc = pc(q).
    [Show full text]
  • THE RANDOM-CLUSTER MODEL Geoffrey Grimmett List of Contents
    THE RANDOM-CLUSTER MODEL Geoffrey Grimmett ×ØÖ The class of random-cluster models is a unification of a variety of sto- chastic processes of significance for probability and statistical physics, including per- colation, Ising, and Potts models; in addition, their study has impact on the theory of certain random combinatorial structures, and of electrical networks. Much (but not all) of the physical theory of Ising/Potts models is best implemented in the context of the random-cluster representation. This systematic summary of random-cluster models includes accounts of the fundamental methods and inequalities, the unique- ness and specification of infinite-volume measures, the existence and nature of the phase transition, and the structure of the subcritical and supercritical phases. The theory for two-dimensional lattices is better developed than for three and more di- mensions. There is a rich collection of open problems, including some of substantial significance for the general area of disordered systems, and these are highlighted when encountered. Amongst the major open questions, there is the problem of ascertaining the exact nature of the phase transition for general values of the cluster-weighting factor q, and the problem of proving that the critical random-cluster model in two dimensions, with 1 ≤ q ≤ 4, converges when re-scaled to a stochastic L¨owner evolu- tion (SLE). Overall the emphasis is upon the random-cluster model for its own sake, rather than upon its applications to Ising and Potts systems. List of contents 1. Introduction 2. Potts and random-cluster measures 2.1 Random-cluster measures 2.2 Ising and Potts models 2.3 Random-cluster and Ising/Potts coupled 2.4 The limit as q ↓ 0 2.5 Rank-generating functions 3.
    [Show full text]
  • THE RANDOM-CLUSTER MODEL Geoffrey
    THE RANDOM-CLUSTER MODEL Geoffrey Grimmett ×ØÖ It is well known that percolation, Ising, and Potts models are special cases of the random-cluster model of Fortuin and Kasteleyn. This paper is an account of the basic properties of this model. Of primary interest is the study of the associated phase transitions. A version of the random-cluster model was discovered by Peter Whittle in his study of the mathematics of polymerization. 1. Introduction The Ising model [30] is a standard mathematical model for ferromagnetism; it exhibits a phase transition and an interesting range of critical phenomena. Whereas the Ising model permits only two possible spins at each site, the Ashkin–Teller and Potts models allow a general number of spin values ([5, 43]). In the late 1960s, Piet Kasteleyn observed that certain observables of electrical networks, percolation processes, and Ising models have features in common, namely versions of the series and parallel laws. In an investigation pursued jointly with Kees Fortuin, he came upon a one-parameter class of measures which includes in its ranks the percolation, Ising, and Potts models, together with (in a certain limit) electrical networks. This class is simple to describe and has rich structure; it is the class of random-cluster models. Unlike its more classical counterparts in statistical physics, the random-cluster model is a process which lives on the edges of a graph rather than on its vertices. It is a random graph whose structure provides information concerning the nature of the phase transition in physical systems. Not only does the model incorporate a unifying description of physical models, but also it provides a natural setting for certain techniques of value ([3, 7, 9, 23, 36, 45]).
    [Show full text]
  • Arxiv:Math.CO/0503607 V1 25 Mar 2005 Ope Variables
    The multivariate Tutte polynomial (alias Potts model) for graphs and matroids Alan D. Sokal Abstract The multivariate Tutte polynomial (known to physicists as the Potts-model partition function) can be defined on an arbitrary finite graph G, or more gen- erally on an arbitrary matroid M, and encodes much important combinatorial information about the graph (indeed, in the matroid case it encodes the full structure of the matroid). It contains as a special case the familiar two-variable Tutte polynomial — and therefore also its one-variable specializations such as the chromatic polynomial, the flow polynomial and the reliability polynomial — but is considerably more flexible. I begin by giving an introduction to all these problems, stressing the advantages of working with the multivariate version. I then discuss some questions concerning the complex zeros of the multivariate Tutte polynomial, along with their physical interpretations in statistical me- chanics (in connection with the Yang–Lee approach to phase transitions) and electrical circuit theory. Along the way I mention numerous open problems. This survey is intended to be understandable to mathematicians with no prior knowledge of physics. 1 Introduction Let G = (V, E) be a finite undirected graph with vertex set V and edge set E.1 The multivariate Tutte polynomial of G is, by definition, the polynomial k(A) ZG(q, v) = q ve , (1.1) AX⊆E eY∈A arXiv:math.CO/0503607 v1 25 Mar 2005 where q and v = {ve}e∈E are commuting indeterminates, and k(A) denotes the number of connected components in the subgraph (V, A). [It is sometimes convenient to consider instead −|V | k(A)−|V | ZG(q, v) ≡ q ZG(q, v) = q ve , (1.2) AX⊆E eY∈A e −1 which is a polynomial in q and {ve}.] From a combinatorial point of view, ZG is simply the multivariate generating polynomial that enumerates the spanning sub- graphs of G according to their precise edge content (with weight ve for the edge e) and their number of connected components (with weight q for each component).
    [Show full text]
  • A NOTE on JOINTLY MODELING EDGES and NODE ATTRIBUTES of a NETWORK 2 Levels As a Function of an Underlying Regulatory Network, Or Vise Versa ([22])
    A NOTE ON JOINTLY MODELING EDGES AND NODE ATTRIBUTES OF A NETWORK HAIYAN CAI Abstract. We are interested in modeling networks in which the connectivity among the nodes and node attributes are random variables and interact with each other. We propose a probabilistic model that allows one to formulate jointly a probability distribution for these variables. This model can be described as a combination of a latent space model and a Gaussian graphical model: given the node variables, the edges will follow independent logistic distributions, with the node variables as covariates; given edges, the node variables will be distributed jointly as multivariate Gaussian, with their conditional covariance matrix depending on the graph induced by the edges. We will present some basic properties of this model, including a connection between this model and a dynamical network process involving both edges and node variables, the marginal distribution of the model for edges as a random graph model, its one-edge conditional distributions, the FKG inequality, and the existence of a limiting distribution for the edges in a infinite graph. 1. Introduction In modeling networks ([13, 15, 20]), the usual focus is on the network topologies, or the configurations of edges. A network is typically modeled as a random graph ([3, 6, 8]) defined in terms of a probability distribution of the edge status. However, networks in many applied problems are not always just about links or edges. More extensive data for certain networks, arXiv:1510.01157v2 [math.PR] 6 Sep 2016 containing information not only for edges but also for some node variables or attributes, are becoming available.
    [Show full text]
  • Random Cluster Dynamics for the Ising Model Is Rapidly Mixing
    Random Cluster Dynamics for the Ising model is Rapidly Mixing Heng Guo (Joint work with Mark Jerrum) Durham Jul 29 2017 Queen Mary, University of London 1 The Model The random cluster model (Fortuin, Kasteleyn 69) Parameters 0 6 p 6 1 (edge weight), q > 0 (cluster weight). Given graph G = (V, E), the measure on subgraph r ⊆ E is defined as jrj jEnrj κ(r) πRC(r) / p (1 - p) q , where κ(r) is the number of connected components in (V, r). (1 - p)4q4 p2(1 - p)2q2 p4q 2 The random cluster model (Fortuin, Kasteleyn 69) The partition function (normalizing factor): X jrj jEnrj κ(r) ZRC(p, q) = p (1 - p) q . r⊆E Equivalent to the Tutte polynomial ZTutte(x, y): 1 q = (x - 1)(y - 1) p = 1 - y 3 The random cluster model (Fortuin, Kasteleyn 69) jrj jEnrj κ(r) πRC(r) / p (1 - p) q The motivation is to unify: • Ising model q = 2 • Potts model q > 2, integer • Bond percolation q = 1 (On Kn, Erdős-Rényi random graph) ! ! q ! • Electrical network q 0 (Spanning trees if p 0 and p 0) 4 The random cluster model (Fortuin, Kasteleyn 69) jrj jEnrj κ(r) πRC(r) / p (1 - p) q The motivation is to unify: • Ising model q = 2 • Potts model q > 2, integer • Bond percolation q = 1 (On Kn, Erdős-Rényi random graph) ! ! q ! • Electrical network q 0 (Spanning trees if p 0 and p 0) 4 The random cluster model (Fortuin, Kasteleyn 69) jrj jEnrj κ(r) πRC(r) / p (1 - p) q The motivation is to unify: • Ising model q = 2 • Potts model q > 2, integer • Bond percolation q = 1 (On Kn, Erdős-Rényi random graph) ! ! q ! • Electrical network q 0 (Spanning trees if p 0 and p 0) 4 The random
    [Show full text]
  • The Self-Dual Point of the Two-Dimensional Random-Cluster Model Is Critical For
    The self-dual point of the two-dimensional random-cluster model is critical for q > 1 V. Beffara H. Duminil-Copin May 28, 2018 Abstract We prove a long-standing conjecture on random-cluster models, namely that the critical point for such models with parameter q > 1 on the square lattice is equal to the self-dual point psd(q)= √q/(1 + √q). This gives a proof that the critical temperature of the q-state Potts model is equal to log(1 + √q) for all q > 2. We further prove that the transition is sharp, meaning that there is exponential decay of correlations in the sub-critical phase. The techniques of this paper are rigorous and valid for all q > 1, in contrast to earlier methods valid only for certain given q. The proof extends to the triangular and the hexagonal lattices as well. Introduction Since random-cluster models were introduced by Fortuin and Kasteleyn in 1969 [12], they have become an important tool in the study of phase transitions. The spin correlations of Potts models are rephrased as cluster connectivity properties of their random-cluster representations. This allows the use of geometric techniques, thus leading to several important applications. Nevertheless, only a few aspects of the random-cluster models are understood in full generality. The random-cluster model on a finite connected graph is a model on the edges of the graph, each one being either closed or open. The probability of a configuration is proportional to p# open edges(1 p)# closed edgesq# clusters, − where the edge-weight p [0, 1] and the cluster-weight q (0, ) are the parameters of the ∈ ∈ ∞ model.
    [Show full text]
  • Probabilistic Models of Critical Phenomena
    Princeton Companion to Mathematics Proof 1 Probabilistic Models of particular arrangement of pores in a rock, or of the magnetic states of the individual atoms in a block Critical Phenomena of iron) is assigned a probability, and the typical behaviour of this ensemble of random configura- By Gordon Slade tions is analyzed as a function of parameters of the system (e.g. porosity or temperature). 1 Critical Phenomena The theory of critical phenomena is now guided to a large degree by a profound insight from physics 1.1 Examples known as universality, which, at present, is more A population can explode if its birth rate exceeds of a philosophy than a mathematical theorem. its death rate, but otherwise it becomes extinct. The notion of universality refers to the fact that The nature of the population’s evolution depends many essential features of the transition at a crit- critically on which way the balance tips between ical point depend on relatively few attributes of adding new members and losing old ones. the system under consideration. In particular, sim- A porous rock with randomly arranged micro- ple mathematical models can capture some of the scopic pores has water spilled on top. If there are qualitative and quantitative features of critical be- few pores, the water will not percolate through the haviour in real physical systems, even if the mod- rock, but if there are many pores, it will. Surpris- els dramatically oversimplify the local interactions ingly, there is a critical degree of porosity that present in the real systems. This observation has exactly separates these behaviours.
    [Show full text]