Exact Meander Asymptotics: a Numerical Check

Abstract

This note addresses the meander enumeration problem: "Count all topologically inequivalent configurations of a closed planar non self-intersecting curve crossing a line through a given number of points". We review a description of meanders introduced recently in terms of the coupling to gravity of a two-flavored fully-packed loop model. The subsequent analytic predictions for various meandric configuration exponents are checked against exact enumeration, using a transfer matrix method, with an excellent agreement.Comment: 48 pages, 24 figures, tex, harvmac, eps