Related papers: From Hurwitz numbers to Kontsevich-Witten tau-func…
We identify the Kontsevich-Penner matrix integral, for finite size $n$, with the isomonodromic tau function of a $3\times 3$ rational connection on the Riemann sphere with $n$ Fuchsian singularities placed in correspondence with the…
The notion of a quantum tau-function for a natural quantization of the KdV hierarchy was introduced in a work of Dubrovin, Gu\'er\'e, Rossi, and the second author. A certain natural choice of a quantum tau-function was then described by the…
This is an overview of recent results on the use of 2D Toda $\tau$-functions as generating functions for multiparametric families of weighted Hurwitz numbers. The Bose-Fermi equivalence composed with the characteristic map provides an…
This article is concerned with obtaining the standard tau function descriptions of integrable equations (in particular, here the KdV and Ernst equations are considered) from the geometry of their twistor correspondences. In particular, we…
The main goal of this paper is to prove the following two conjectures for genus up to two: 1. Witten's conjecture on the relations between higher spin curves and Gelfand--Dickey hierarchy. 2. Virasoro conjecture for target manifolds with…
We prove some combinatorial results related to a formula on Hodge integrals conjectured by Mari\~no and Vafa. These results play important roles in the proof and applications of this formula by the author jointly with Chiu-Chu Melissa Liu…
The isomonodromic tau-function for the Hurwitz spaces of branched coverings of genus zero and one are constructed explicitly. Such spaces may be equipped with the structure of a Frobenius manifold and this introduces a flat coordinate…
This paper begins investigation of the concept of ``generalized $\tau$-function'', defined as a generating function of all the matrix elements of a group element $g \in G$ in a given highest-weight representation of a universal enveloping…
Spin Hurwitz numbers are related to characters of the Sergeev group, which are the expansion coefficients of the Q Schur functions, depending on odd times and on a subset of all Young diagrams. These characters involve two dual subsets: the…
We exhibit a generating function of spin Hurwitz numbers analogous to (disconnected) double Hurwitz numbers that is a tau function of the two-component BKP (2-BKP) hierarchy and is a square root of a tau function of the two-component KP…
We remind the definition and main properties of the Krichever quasiclassical tau-function, and turn to the application of these formulas for recent studies of two-dimensional quantum gravity. We show, that in the case of minimal gravity it…
The quantum spectral curve equation associated to KP $\tau$-functions of hypergeometric type serving as generating functions for rationally weighted Hurwitz numbers is solved by generalized hypergeometric series. The basis elements spanning…
Weighted constellations give graphical representations of weighted branched coverings of the Riemann sphere. They were introduced to provide a combinatorial interpretation of the $2$D Toda $\tau$-functions of hypergeometric type serving as…
The Virasoro operations in Witten's theory of two-dimensional topological gravity have a homotopy-theoretic interpretation as endomorphisms of an ordinary cohomology theory with coefficients in a localization of I. Schur's ring \Delta of…
We consider solvable matrix models. We generalize Harish-Chandra-Itzykson-Zuber and certain other integrals (Gross-Witten integral and integrals over complex matrices) using the notion of tau function of matrix argument. In this case one…
This work develops some technology for accessing the loop expansion of the Kontsevich integral of a knot. The setting is an application of the LMO invariant to certain surgery presentations of knots by framed links in the solid torus. A…
W-operators are differential operators on the polynomial ring. Mironov, Morosov and Natanzon construct the generalized Hurwitz numbers. They use the W-operator to prove a formula for the generating function of the generalized Hurwitz…
Multicurrent correlators associated to KP $\tau$-functions of hypergeometric type are used as generating functions for weighted Hurwitz numbers. These are expressed as formal Taylor series and used to compute generic, simple, rational and…
In this paper, we consider the higher Br\'ezin--Gross--Witten tau-functions, given by the matrix integrals. For these tau-functions we construct the canonical Kac--Schwarz operators, quantum spectral curves, and $W^{(3)}$-constraints. For…
Earlier we explained that partition functions of various matrix models can be constructed from that of the cubic Kontsevich model, which, therefore, becomes a basic elementary building block in "M-theory" of matrix models. However, the less…