Lattice path combinatorics and asymptotics of multiplicities of weights in tensor powers

We give asymptotic formulas for the multiplicities of weights and irreducible summands in high-tensor powers $V_{\lambda}^{\otimes N}$ of an irreducible representation $V_{\lambda}$ of a compact connected Lie group $G$. The weights are allowed to depend on $N$, and we obtain several regimes of pointwise asymptotics, ranging from a central limit region to a large deviations region. We use a complex steepest descent method that applies to general asymptotic counting problems for lattice paths with steps in a convex polytope.