Increasing subsequences and the hard-to-soft edge transition in matrix ensembles

Our interest is in the cumulative probabilities Pr(L(t) \le l) for the maximum length of increasing subsequences in Poissonized ensembles of random permutations, random fixed point free involutions and reversed random fixed point free involutions. It is shown that these probabilities are equal to the hard edge gap probability for matrix ensembles with unitary, orthogonal and symplectic symmetry respectively. The gap probabilities can be written as a sum over correlations for certain determinantal point processes. From these expressions a proof can be given that the limiting form of Pr(L(t) \le l) in the three cases is equal to the soft edge gap probability for matrix ensembles with unitary, orthogonal and symplectic symmetry respectively, thereby reclaiming theorems due to Baik-Deift-Johansson and Baik-Rains.Comment: LaTeX, 19 page

Growth models, random matrices and Painleve transcendents

The Hammersley process relates to the statistical properties of the maximum length of all up/right paths connecting random points of a given density in the unit square from (0,0) to (1,1). This process can also be interpreted in terms of the height of the polynuclear growth model, or the length of the longest increasing subsequence in a random permutation. The cumulative distribution of the longest path length can be written in terms of an average over the unitary group. Versions of the Hammersley process in which the points are constrained to have certain symmetries of the square allow similar formulas. The derivation of these formulas is reviewed. Generalizing the original model to have point sources along two boundaries of the square, and appropriately scaling the parameters gives a model in the KPZ universality class. Following works of Baik and Rains, and Pr\"ahofer and Spohn, we review the calculation of the scaled cumulative distribution, in which a particular Painlev\'e II transcendent plays a prominent role.Comment: 27 pages, 5 figure

Particles in a magnetic field and plasma analogies: doubly periodic boundary conditions

The $N$-particle free fermion state for quantum particles in the plane subject to a perpendicular magnetic field, and with doubly periodic boundary conditions, is written in a product form. The absolute value of this is used to formulate an exactly solvable one-component plasma model, and further motivates the formulation of an exactly solvable two-species Coulomb gas. The large $N$ expansion of the free energy of both these models exhibits the same O(1) term. On the basis of a relationship to the Gaussian free field, this term is predicted to be universal for conductive Coulomb systems in doubly periodic boundary conditions.Comment: 12 page

Applications and generalizations of Fisher-Hartwig asymptotics

Fisher-Hartwig asymptotics refers to the large $n$ form of a class of Toeplitz determinants with singular generating functions. This class of Toeplitz determinants occurs in the study of the spin-spin correlations for the two-dimensional Ising model, and the ground state density matrix of the impenetrable Bose gas, amongst other problems in mathematical physics. We give a new application of the original Fisher-Hartwig formula to the asymptotic decay of the Ising correlations above $T_c$, while the study of the Bose gas density matrix leads us to generalize the Fisher-Hartwig formula to the asymptotic form of random matrix averages over the classical groups and the Gaussian and Laguerre unitary matrix ensembles. Another viewpoint of our generalizations is that they extend to Hankel determinants the Fisher-Hartwig asymptotic form known for Toeplitz determinants.Comment: 25 page

A Combinatorial Interpretation of the Free Fermion Condition of the Six-Vertex Model

The free fermion condition of the six-vertex model provides a 5 parameter sub-manifold on which the Bethe Ansatz equations for the wavenumbers that enter into the eigenfunctions of the transfer matrices of the model decouple, hence allowing explicit solutions. Such conditions arose originally in early field-theoretic S-matrix approaches. Here we provide a combinatorial explanation for the condition in terms of a generalised Gessel-Viennot involution. By doing so we extend the use of the Gessel-Viennot theorem, originally devised for non-intersecting walks only, to a special weighted type of \emph{intersecting} walk, and hence express the partition function of $N$ such walks starting and finishing at fixed endpoints in terms of the single walk partition functions

Correlations in two-component log-gas systems

A systematic study of the properties of particle and charge correlation functions in the two-dimensional Coulomb gas confined to a one-dimensional domain is undertaken. Two versions of this system are considered: one in which the positive and negative charges are constrained to alternate in sign along the line, and the other where there is no charge ordering constraint. Both systems undergo a zero-density Kosterlitz-Thouless type transition as the dimensionless coupling $\Gamma := q^2 / kT$ is varied through $\Gamma = 2$. In the charge ordered system we use a perturbation technique to establish an $O(1/r^4)$ decay of the two-body correlations in the high temperature limit. For $\Gamma \rightarrow 2^+$, the low-fugacity expansion of the asymptotic charge-charge correlation can be resummed to all orders in the fugacity. The resummation leads to the Kosterlitz renormalization equations.Comment: 39 pages, 5 figures not included, Latex, to appear J. Stat. Phys. Shortened version of abstract belo

Random walks and random fixed-point free involutions

A bijection is given between fixed point free involutions of $\{1,2,...,2N\}$ with maximum decreasing subsequence size $2p$ and two classes of vicious (non-intersecting) random walker configurations confined to the half line lattice points $l \ge 1$. In one class of walker configurations the maximum displacement of the right most walker is $p$. Because the scaled distribution of the maximum decreasing subsequence size is known to be in the soft edge GOE (random real symmetric matrices) universality class, the same holds true for the scaled distribution of the maximum displacement of the right most walker.Comment: 10 page

Analytic solutions of the 1D finite coupling delta function Bose gas

An intensive study for both the weak coupling and strong coupling limits of the ground state properties of this classic system is presented. Detailed results for specific values of finite $N$ are given and from them results for general $N$ are determined. We focus on the density matrix and concomitantly its Fourier transform, the occupation numbers, along with the pair correlation function and concomitantly its Fourier transform, the structure factor. These are the signature quantities of the Bose gas. One specific result is that for weak coupling a rational polynomial structure holds despite the transcendental nature of the Bethe equations. All these new results are predicated on the Bethe ansatz and are built upon the seminal works of the past.Comment: 23 pages, 0 figures, uses rotate.sty. A few lines added. Accepted by Phys. Rev.