Modular forms, Schwarzian conditions, and symmetries of differential equations in physics

We give examples of infinite order rational transformations that leave linear differential equations covariant. These examples are non-trivial yet simple enough illustrations of exact representations of the renormalization group. We first illustrate covariance properties on order-two linear differential operators associated with identities relating the same $_2F_1$ hypergeometric function with different rational pullbacks. We provide two new and more general results of the previous covariance by rational functions: a new Heun function example and a higher genus $_2F_1$ hypergeometric function example. We then focus on identities relating the same hypergeometric function with two different algebraic pullback transformations: such remarkable identities correspond to modular forms, the algebraic transformations being solution of another differentially algebraic Schwarzian equation that emerged in a paper by Casale. Further, we show that the first differentially algebraic equation can be seen as a subcase of the last Schwarzian differential condition, the restriction corresponding to a factorization condition of some associated order-two linear differential operator. Finally, we also explore generalizations of these results, for instance, to $_3F_2$, hypergeometric functions, and show that one just reduces to the previous $_2F_1$ cases through a Clausen identity. In a $_2F_1$ hypergeometric framework the Schwarzian condition encapsulates all the modular forms and modular equations of the theory of elliptic curves, but these two conditions are actually richer than elliptic curves or $_2F_1$ hypergeometric functions, as can be seen on the Heun and higher genus example. This work is a strong incentive to develop more differentially algebraic symmetry analysis in physics.Comment: 43 page

Scaling functions in the square Ising model

We show and give the linear differential operators ${\cal L}^{scal}_q$ of order q= n^2/4+n+7/8+(-1)^n/8, for the integrals $I_n(r)$ which appear in the two-point correlation scaling function of Ising model $F_{\pm}(r)= \lim_{scaling} {\cal M}_{\pm}^{-2} = \sum_{n} I_{n}(r)$. The integrals $I_{n}(r)$ are given in expansion around r= 0 in the basis of the formal solutions of $\, {\cal L}^{scal}_q$ with transcendental combination coefficients. We find that the expression $r^{1/4}\,\exp(r^2/8)$ is a solution of the Painlev\'e VI equation in the scaling limit. Combinations of the (analytic at $r= 0$) solutions of ${\cal L}^{scal}_q$ sum to $\exp(r^2/8)$. We show that the expression $r^{1/4} \exp(r^2/8)$ is the scaling limit of the correlation function $C(N, N)$ and $C(N, N+1)$. The differential Galois groups of the factors occurring in the operators ${\cal L}^{scal}_q$ are given.Comment: 26 page

Diagonals of rational functions, pullbacked 2F1 hypergeometric functions and modular forms (unabrigded version)

We recall that diagonals of rational functions naturally occur in lattice statistical mechanics and enumerative combinatorics. We find that a seven-parameter rational function of three variables with a numerator equal to one (reciprocal of a polynomial of degree two at most) can be expressed as a pullbacked 2F1 hypergeometric function. This result can be seen as the simplest non-trivial family of diagonals of rational functions. We focus on some subcases such that the diagonals of the corresponding rational functions can be written as a pullbacked 2F1 hypergeometric function with two possible rational functions pullbacks algebraically related by modular equations, thus showing explicitely that the diagonal is a modular form. We then generalise this result to eight, nine and ten parameters families adding some selected cubic terms at the denominator of the rational function defining the diagonal. We finally show that each of these previous rational functions yields an infinite number of rational functions whose diagonals are also pullbacked 2F1 hypergeometric functions and modular forms.Comment: 39 page