English

Matrix integrals and Hurwitz numbers

Mathematical Physics 2017-10-24 v4 math.MP

Abstract

We study multi-matrix models which may be viewed as integrals of products of tau functions which depend on the eigenvalues of products of random matrices. In the present paper we consider tau functions of the hierarchy the two-component KP (semiinfinite relativistic Toda lattice) and of hierarchy of the BKP introduced by Kac and van de Leur. Sometimes such integrals are tau functions themselves. We consider models which generate Hurwitz numbers He,fH^{e},f, where ee is the Euler characteristic of the base surface and ff is the number of branch points. We show that in case the integrands contains the product of n>2n > 2 matrices the integral generates Hurwitz numbers with e2e\le 2 and fn+2f\le n+2, both numbers ee and ff depend both on nn and on the order of the multipliers in the matrix product. The Euler characteristic e e can be either an even or an odd number, that is, match both orientable and nonorientable (Klein) base surfaces, depending on the presence of the tau function of the BKP hierarchy in the integrand. We study two cases: the products of complex and the products of unitary matrices.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1701.02296,
  title  = {Matrix integrals and Hurwitz numbers},
  author = {A. Yu. Orlov},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1701.02296},
  year   = {2017}
}

Comments

39 pages (and Appendices taken from previous works). A number of misprints is corrected. List of references is completed

R2 v1 2026-06-22T17:45:07.432Z