Permutation orbifolds of heterotic Gepner models

We study orbifolds by permutations of two identical N=2 minimal models within the Gepner construction of four dimensional heterotic strings. This is done using the new N=2 supersymmetric permutation orbifold building blocks we have recently developed. We compare our results with the old method of modding out the full string partition function. The overlap between these two approaches is surprisingly small, but whenever a comparison can be made we find complete agreement. The use of permutation building blocks allows us to use the complete arsenal of simple current techniques that is available for standard Gepner models, vastly extending what could previously be done for permutation orbifolds. In particular, we consider (0,2) models, breaking of SO(10) to subgroups, weight-lifting for the minimal models and B-L lifting. Some previously observed phenomena, for example concerning family number quantization, extend to this new class as well, and in the lifted models three family models occur with abundance comparable to two or four.Comment: 49 pages, 4 figure

Bypasses for rectangular diagrams. Proof of Jones' conjecture and related questions

In the present paper a criteria for a rectangular diagram to admit a simplification is given in terms of Legendrian knots. It is shown that there are two types of simplifications which are mutually independent in a sense. A new proof of the monotonic simplification theorem for the unknot is given. It is shown that a minimal rectangular diagram maximizes the Thurston--Bennequin number for the corresponding Legendrian links. Jones' conjecture about the invariance of the algebraic number of intersections of a minimal braid representing a fixed link type is proved.Comment: 50 pages, 62 Figures, numerous minor correction

The Brownian limit of separable permutations

We study random uniform permutations in an important class of pattern-avoiding permutations: the separable permutations. We describe the asymptotics of the number of occurrences of any fixed given pattern in such a random permutation in terms of the Brownian excursion. In the recent terminology of permutons, our work can be interpreted as the convergence of uniform random separable permutations towards a "Brownian separable permuton".Comment: 45 pages, 14 figures, incorporating referee's suggestion

Grid classes and partial well order

We prove necessary and sufficient conditions on a family of (generalised) gridding matrices to determine when the corresponding permutation classes are partially well-ordered. One direction requires an application of Higman's Theorem and relies on there being only finitely many simple permutations in the only non-monotone cell of each component of the matrix. The other direction is proved by a more general result that allows the construction of infinite antichains in any grid class of a matrix whose graph has a component containing two or more non-monotone-griddable cells. The construction uses a generalisation of pin sequences to grid classes, together with a number of symmetry operations on the rows and columns of a gridding.Comment: 22 pages, 7 figures. To appear in J. Comb. Theory Series

Properties of scattering forms and their relation to associahedra

We show that the half-integrands in the CHY representation of tree amplitudes give rise to the definition of differential forms -- the scattering forms -- on the moduli space of a Riemann sphere with $n$ marked points. These differential forms have some remarkable properties. We show that all singularities are on the divisor $\overline{\mathcal M}_{0,n} \backslash {\mathcal M}_{0,n}$. Each singularity is logarithmic and the residue factorises into two differential forms of lower points. In order for this to work, we provide a threefold generalisation of the CHY polarisation factor (also known as reduced Pfaffian) towards off-shell momenta, unphysical polarisations and away from the solutions of the scattering equations. We discuss explicitly the cases of bi-adjoint scalar amplitudes, Yang-Mills amplitudes and gravity amplitudes.Comment: 40 pages, version to be publishe

Attempted Bethe ansatz solution for one-dimensional directed polymers in random media

We study the statistical properties of one-dimensional directed polymers in a short-range random potential by mapping the replicated problem to a many body quantum boson system with attractive interactions. We find the full set of eigenvalues and eigenfunctions of the many-body system and perform the summation over the entire spectrum of excited states. The analytic continuation of the obtained exact expression for the replica partition function from integer to non-integer replica parameter N turns out to be ambiguous. Performing the analytic continuation simply by assuming that the parameter N can take arbitrary complex values, and going to the thermodynamic limit of the original directed polymer problem, we obtain the explicit universal expression for the probability distribution function of free energy fluctuations.Comment: 32 pages, 1 figur