A tree-decomposed transfer matrix for computing exact Potts model partition functions for arbitrary graphs, with applications to planar graph colourings

Combining tree decomposition and transfer matrix techniques provides a very general algorithm for computing exact partition functions of statistical models defined on arbitrary graphs. The algorithm is particularly efficient in the case of planar graphs. We illustrate it by computing the Potts model partition functions and chromatic polynomials (the number of proper vertex colourings using Q colours) for large samples of random planar graphs with up to N=100 vertices. In the latter case, our algorithm yields a sub-exponential average running time of ~ exp(1.516 sqrt(N)), a substantial improvement over the exponential running time ~ exp(0.245 N) provided by the hitherto best known algorithm. We study the statistics of chromatic roots of random planar graphs in some detail, comparing the findings with results for finite pieces of a regular lattice.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures. Version 2 has been substantially expanded. Version 3 shows that the worst-case running time is sub-exponential in the number of vertice

Dimer and fermionic formulations of a class of colouring problems

We show that the number Z of q-edge-colourings of a simple regular graph of degree q is deducible from functions describing dimers on the same graph, viz. the dimer generating function or equivalently the set of connected dimer correlation functions. Using this relationship to the dimer problem, we derive fermionic representations for Z in terms of Grassmann integrals with quartic actions. Expressions are given for planar graphs and for nonplanar graphs embeddable (without edge crossings) on a torus. We discuss exact numerical evaluations of the Grassmann integrals using an algorithm by Creutz, and present an application to the 4-edge-colouring problem on toroidal square lattices, comparing the results to numerical transfer matrix calculations and a previous Bethe ansatz study. We also show that for the square, honeycomb, 3-12, and one-dimensional lattice, known exact results for the asymptotic scaling of Z with the number of vertices can be expressed in a unified way as different values of one and the same function.Comment: 16 pages, 2 figures, 2 tables. v2: corrected an inconsistency in the notatio

Potts model on recursive lattices: some new exact results

We compute the partition function of the Potts model with arbitrary values of $q$ and temperature on some strip lattices. We consider strips of width $L_y=2$, for three different lattices: square, diced and `shortest-path' (to be defined in the text). We also get the exact solution for strips of the Kagome lattice for widths $L_y=2,3,4,5$. As further examples we consider two lattices with different type of regular symmetry: a strip with alternating layers of width $L_y=3$ and $L_y=m+2$, and a strip with variable width. Finally we make some remarks on the Fisher zeros for the Kagome lattice and their large q-limit.Comment: 17 pages, 19 figures. v2 typos corrected, title changed and references, acknowledgements and two further original examples added. v3 one further example added. v4 final versio