On the expected number of perfect matchings in cubic planar graphs

A well-known conjecture by Lov\'asz and Plummer from the 1970s asserted that a bridgeless cubic graph has exponentially many perfect matchings. It was solved in the affirmative by Esperet et al. (Adv. Math. 2011). On the other hand, Chudnovsky and Seymour (Combinatorica 2012) proved the conjecture in the special case of cubic planar graphs. In our work we consider random bridgeless cubic planar graphs with the uniform distribution on graphs with $n$ vertices. Under this model we show that the expected number of perfect matchings in labeled bridgeless cubic planar graphs is asymptotically $c\gamma^n$, where $c>0$ and $\gamma \sim 1.14196$ is an explicit algebraic number. We also compute the expected number of perfect matchings in (non necessarily bridgeless) cubic planar graphs and provide lower bounds for unlabeled graphs. Our starting point is a correspondence between counting perfect matchings in rooted cubic planar maps and the partition function of the Ising model in rooted triangulations.Comment: 19 pages, 4 figure

Curves on K3 surfaces and modular forms

We study the virtual geometry of the moduli spaces of curves and sheaves on K3 surfaces in primitive classes. Equivalences relating the reduced Gromov-Witten invariants of K3 surfaces to characteristic numbers of stable pairs moduli spaces are proven. As a consequence, we prove the Katz-Klemm-Vafa conjecture evaluating $\lambda_g$ integrals (in all genera) in terms of explicit modular forms. Indeed, all K3 invariants in primitive classes are shown to be governed by modular forms. The method of proof is by degeneration to elliptically fibered rational surfaces. New formulas relating reduced virtual classes on K3 surfaces to standard virtual classes after degeneration are needed for both maps and sheaves. We also prove a Gromov-Witten/Pairs correspondence for toric 3-folds. Our approach uses a result of Kiem and Li to produce reduced classes. In Appendix A, we answer a number of questions about the relationship between the Kiem-Li approach, traditional virtual cycles, and symmetric obstruction theories. The interplay between the boundary geometry of the moduli spaces of curves, K3 surfaces, and modular forms is explored in Appendix B by A. Pixton.Comment: An incorrect example in Appendix A, pointed out to us by Dominic Joyce, has been replaced by a reference to a new paper arXiv:1204.3958 containing a corrected exampl

Gromov-Witten invariants of blow-ups along submanifolds with convex normal bundles

Given a submanifold Z inside X, let Y be the blow-up of X along Z. When the normal bundle of Z in X is convex with a minor assumption, we prove that genus-zero GW-invariants of Y with cohomology insertions from X, are identical to GW-invariants of X. Under the same hypothesis, a vanishing theorem is also proved. An example to which these two theorems apply is when the normal bundle is generated by global sections. These two main theorems do not hold for arbitrary blow-ups, and counter-examples are included.Comment: 34 page

Virtual push-forwards

Let $p:F\to G$ be a morphism of stacks of positive \emph{virtual} relative dimension $k$ and let $\gamma\in H^k(F)$. We give sufficient conditions for $p_*\gamma\cdot[F]^{virt}$ to be a multiple of $[G]^{virt}$. We apply this result to show an analogue of the conservation of number for virtually smooth families. We show implications to Gromov-Witten invariants and give a new proof of a theorem of Marian, Oprea and Pandharipande which compares the virtual classes of moduli spaces of stable maps and moduli spaces of stable quotients

Witt groups of sheaves on topological spaces

This paper investigates the Witt groups of triangulated categories of sheaves (of modules over a ring R in which 2 is invertible) equipped with Poincare-Verdier duality. We consider two main cases, that of perfect complexes of sheaves on locally compact Hausdorff spaces and that of cohomologically constructible complexes of sheaves on polyhedra. We show that the Witt groups of the latter form a generalised homology theory for polyhedra and continuous maps. Under certain restrictions on the ring R, we identify the constructible Witt groups of a finite simplicial complex with Ranicki's free symmetric L-groups. Witt spaces are the natural class of spaces for which the rational intersection homology groups have Poincare duality. When the ring R is the rationals we show that every Witt space has a natural L-theory, or Witt, orientation and we identify the constructible Witt groups with the 4-periodic colimit of the bordism groups of Witt spaces. This allows us to interpret Goresky and Macpherson's L-classes of singular spaces as stable homology operations from the constructible Witt groups to rational homology.Comment: 38 pages, reformatted, minor corrections and changes as suggested by referee. To appear in Commentarii Mathematici Helvetici no. 8