English

Percolation is Odd

Statistical Mechanics 2019-12-11 v2 Discrete Mathematics

Abstract

We prove a remarkable combinatorial symmetry in the number of spanning configurations in site percolation: for a large class of lattices, the number of spanning configurations with an odd or even number of occupied sites differs by ±1\pm 1. In particular, this symmetry implies that the total number of spanning configurations is always odd, independent of the size or shape of the lattice. The class of lattices that share this symmetry includes the square lattice and the hypercubic lattice in any dimension, with a wide variety of boundary conditions.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1909.01484,
  title  = {Percolation is Odd},
  author = {Stephan Mertens and Cristopher Moore},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1909.01484},
  year   = {2019}
}

Comments

4.5 pages, 1 figure

R2 v1 2026-06-23T11:04:42.280Z