Counting problems, determining the number of possible states of a large system under certain constraints, play an important role in many areas of science. They naturally arise for complex disordered systems in physics and chemistry, in mathematical graph theory, and in computer science. Counting problems, however, are among the hardest problems to access computationally. Here, we suggest a novel method to access a benchmark counting problem, finding chromatic polynomials of graphs. We develop a vertex-oriented symbolic pattern matching algorithm that exploits the equivalence between the chromatic polynomial and the zero-temperature partition function of the Potts antiferromagnet on the same graph. Implementing this bottom-up algorithm using appropriate computer algebra, the new method outperforms standard top-down methods by several orders of magnitude, already for moderately sized graphs. As a first application, we compute chromatic polynomials of samples of the simple cubic lattice, for the first time computationally accessing three-dimensional lattices of physical relevance. The method offers straightforward generalizations to several other counting problems.
The q-state Potts model can be defined on an arbitrary finite graph, and its partition function encodes much important information about that graph, including its chromatic polynomial, flow polynomial and reliability polynomial. The complex zeros of the Potts partition function are of interest both to statistical mechanicians and to combinatorists. I give a pedagogical introduction to all these problems, and then sketch two recent results: (a) Construction of a countable family of planar graphs whose chromatic zeros are dense in the whole complex q-plane except possibly for the disc |q-1| < 1.…
We study the connections between link invariants, the chromatic polynomial, geometric representations of models of statistical mechanics, and their common underlying algebraic structure. We establish a relation between several algebras and their associated combinatorial and topological quantities. In particular, we define the chromatic algebra, whose Markov trace is the chromatic polynomial χ_Q of an associated graph, and we give applications of this new algebraic approach to the combinatorial properties of the chromatic polynomial. In statistical mechanics, this algebra occurs in the low temp…
We study the chromatic polynomial P_G(q) for m \times n square- and triangular-lattice strips of widths 2\leq m \leq 8 with cyclic boundary conditions. This polynomial gives the zero-temperature limit of the partition function for the antiferromagnetic q-state Potts model defined on the lattice G. We show how to construct the transfer matrix in the Fortuin--Kasteleyn representation for such lattices and obtain the accumulation sets of chromatic zeros in the complex q-plane in the limit n\to\infty. We find that the different phases that appear in this model can be characterized by a topological…
We derive some new structural results for the transfer matrix of square-lattice Potts models with free and cylindrical boundary conditions. In particular, we obtain explicit closed-form expressions for the dominant (at large |q|) diagonal entry in the transfer matrix, for arbitrary widths m, as the solution of a special one-dimensional polymer model. We also obtain the large-q expansion of the bulk and surface (resp. corner) free energies for the zero-temperature antiferromagnet (= chromatic polynomial) through order q^{-47} (resp. q^{-46}). Finally, we compute chromatic roots for strips of wi…
Given an infinite graph $\GI$ quasi-transitive and amenable with maximum degree $\D$, we show that reduced ground state degeneracy per site $W_r(\GI,q)$ of the q-state antiferromagnetic Potts model at zero temperature on $\GI$ is analytic in the variable 1/q, whenever $|2\D e^3/q|< 1$. This result proves, in an even stronger formulation, a conjecture originally sketched in [KE] (Kim and Enting, 1979) and explicitly formulated in [ST] (Shrock and Tsai,1997), based on which a sufficient condition for $W_r(\GI,q)$ to be analytic at 1/q=0 is that $\GI$ is a regular lattice.
We study the chromatic polynomial P_G(q) for m \times n triangular-lattice strips of widths m <= 12_P, 9_F (with periodic or free transverse boundary conditions, respectively) and arbitrary lengths n (with free longitudinal boundary conditions). The chromatic polynomial gives the zero-temperature limit of the partition function for the q-state Potts antiferromagnet. We compute the transfer matrix for such strips in the Fortuin--Kasteleyn representation and obtain the corresponding accumulation sets of chromatic zeros in the complex q-plane in the limit n\to\infty. We recompute the limiting cur…
We study the chromatic polynomials for m \times n square-lattice strips, of width 9 <= m <= 13 (with periodic boundary conditions) and arbitrary length n (with free boundary conditions). We have used a transfer matrix approach that allowed us also to extract the limiting curves when n \to \infty. In this limit we have also obtained the isolated limiting points for these square-lattice strips and checked some conjectures related to the Beraha numbers.
We introduce a new disordered system, the Super-Potts model, which is a more frustrated version of the Potts glass. Its elementary degrees of freedom are variables that can take M values and are coupled via pair-wise interactions. Its exact solution on a completely connected lattice demonstrates that for large enough M it belongs to the class of mean-field systems solved by a one step replica symmetry breaking Ansatz. Numerical simulations by the parallel tempering technique show that in three dimensions it displays a phenomenological behaviour similar to the one of glass-forming liquids. The …
We study the chromatic polynomials (= zero-temperature antiferromagnetic Potts-model partition functions) P_G(q) for m \times n rectangular subsets of the square lattice, with m \le 8 (free or periodic transverse boundary conditions) and n arbitrary (free longitudinal boundary conditions), using a transfer matrix in the Fortuin-Kasteleyn representation. In particular, we extract the limiting curves of partition-function zeros when n \to\infty, which arise from the crossing in modulus of dominant eigenvalues (Beraha-Kahane-Weiss theorem). We also provide evidence that the Beraha numbers B_2,B_3…
We study the asymptotic limiting function $W({G},q) = \lim_{n \to \infty}P(G,q)^{1/n}$, where $P(G,q)$ is the chromatic polynomial for a graph $G$ with $n$ vertices. We first discuss a subtlety in the definition of $W({G},q)$ resulting from the fact that at certain special points $q_s$, the following limits do not commute: $\lim_{n \to \infty} \lim_{q \to q_s} P(G,q)^{1/n} \ne \lim_{q \to q_s} \lim_{n \to \infty} P(G,q)^{1/n}$. We then present exact calculations of $W({G},q)$ and determine the corresponding analytic structure in the complex $q$ plane for a number of families of graphs ${G}$, i…
We study the critical behavior of the random q-state Potts model in the large-q limit on the diamond hierarchical lattice with an effective dimensionality $d_{\rm eff} > 2$. By varying the temperature and the strength of the frustration the system has a phase transition line between the paramagnetic and the ferromagnetic phases which is controlled by four different fixed points. According to our renormalization group study the phase-boundary in the vicinity of the multicritical point is self-similar, it is well represent ed by a logarithmic spiral. We expect infinite number of reentrances in t…
We study the 3D Disordered Potts Model with p=5 and p=6. Our numerical simulations (that severely slow down for increasing p) detect a very clear spin glass phase transition. We evaluate the critical exponents and the critical value of the temperature, and we use known results at lower $p$ values to discuss how they evolve for increasing p. We do not find any sign of the presence of a transition to a ferromagnetic regime.
We present exact calculations of the zero-temperature partition function (chromatic polynomial) and the (exponent of the) ground-state entropy $S_0$ for the $q$-state Potts antiferromagnet on families of cyclic and twisted cyclic (Möbius) strip graphs composed of $p$-sided polygons. Our results suggest a general rule concerning the maximal region in the complex $q$ plane to which one can analytically continue from the physical interval where $S_0 > 0$. The chromatic zeros and their accumulation set ${\cal B}$ exhibit the rather unusual property of including support for $Re(q) < 0$ and provide …
I show that there exist universal constants $C(r) < \infty$ such that, for all loopless graphs $G$ of maximum degree $\le r$, the zeros (real or complex) of the chromatic polynomial $P_G(q)$ lie in the disc $|q| < C(r)$. Furthermore, $C(r) \le 7.963906... r$. This result is a corollary of a more general result on the zeros of the Potts-model partition function $Z_G(q, {v_e})$ in the complex antiferromagnetic regime $|1 + v_e| \le 1$. The proof is based on a transformation of the Whitney-Tutte-Fortuin-Kasteleyn representation of $Z_G(q, {v_e})$ to a polymer gas, followed by verification of the …
partial abstract: The $q$-state Potts model partition function (equivalent to the Tutte polynomial) for a lattice strip of fixed width $L_y$ and arbitrary length $L_x$ has the form $Z(G,q,v)=\sum_{j=1}^{N_{Z,G,λ}}c_{Z,G,j}(λ_{Z,G,j})^{L_x}$, where $v$ is a temperature-dependent variable. The special case of the zero-temperature antiferromagnet ($v=-1$) is the chromatic polynomial $P(G,q)$. Using coloring and transfer matrix methods, we give general formulas for $C_{X,G}=\sum_{j=1}^{N_{X,G,λ}}c_{X,G,j}$ for $X=Z,P$ on cyclic and Möbius strip graphs of the square and triangular lattice. Combinin…
We consider the critical behavior of the random q-state Potts model in the large-q limit with different types of disorder leading to either the nonfrustrated random ferromagnet regime or the frustrated spin glass regime. The model is studied on the diamond hierarchical lattice for which the Migdal-Kadanoff real-space renormalization is exact. It is shown to have a ferromagnetic and a paramagnetic phase and the phase transition is controlled by four different fixed points. The state of the system is characterized by the distribution of the interface free energy P(I) which is shown to satisfy di…
Using a weak-disorder scheme and real-space renormalization-group techniques, we obtain analytical results for the critical behavior of various q-state Potts models with correlated disordered exchange interactions along d1 of d spatial dimensions on hierarchical (Migdal-Kadanoff) lattices. Our results indicate qualitative differences between the cases d-d1=1 (for which we find nonphysical random fixed points, suggesting the existence of nonperturbative fixed distributions) and d-d1>1 (for which we do find acceptable perturbartive random fixed points), in agreement with previous numerical calcu…
We report a transfer matrix study of the random bond $q-$state Potts model in the vicinity of the Ising model $q=2$. We draw attention to a precise determination of magnetic scaling dimensions in order to compare with perturbative results. Universality is checked by the computation of the spin-spin correlation function decay exponent obtained with different types of probability distributions of the coupling strengths. Our numerical data, compared to perturbative results for the second moment of the correlation function, obtained with both replica symmetry and replica symmetry breaking schemes,…
Here we observe that list coloring in graph theory coincides with the zero-temperature antiferromagnetic Potts model with an external field. We give a list coloring polynomial that equals the partition function in this case. This is analogous to the well-known connection between the chromatic polynomial and the zero-temperature, zero-field, antiferromagnetic Potts model. The subsequent cross fertilization yields immediate results for the Potts model and suggests new research directions in list coloring.
We present exact results on the partition function of the $q$-state Potts model on various families of graphs $G$ in a generalized external magnetic field that favors or disfavors spin values in a subset $I_s = \{1,...,s\}$ of the total set of possible spin values, $Z(G,q,s,v,w)$, where $v$ and $w$ are temperature- and field-dependent Boltzmann variables. We remark on differences in thermodynamic behavior between our model with a generalized external magnetic field and the Potts model with a conventional magnetic field that favors or disfavors a single spin value. Exact results are also given …
We present exact calculations of the zero-temperature partition function of the $q$-state Potts antiferromagnet (equivalently the chromatic polynomial) for Moebius strips, with width $L_y=2$ or 3, of regular lattices and homeomorphic expansions thereof. These are compared with the corresponding partition functions for strip graphs with (untwisted) periodic longitudinal boundary conditions.
We investigate a 4-state ferromagnetic Potts model with a special type of geometrical frustration on a three dimensional diamond lattice by means of Wang-Landau Monte Carlo simulation motivated by a peculiar structural phase transition found in $β$-pyrochlore oxide KOs$_2$O$_6$. We find that this model undergoes unconventional first-order phase transition; half of the spins in the system order in a two dimensional hexagonal-sheet-like structure, while the remaining half stay disordered. The ordered sheets and the disordered sheets stack one after another. We obtain a fairly large residual entr…
We investigate the continuum q-Potts model at its transition point from the disordered to the ordered regime, with particular emphasis on the coexistence of disordered and ordered phases in the high-q case. We argue that occurrence of phase transition can be seen as percolation in the related random cluster representation, similarly to the lattice Potts model, and investigate the typical structure of clusters for high q. We also report on numerical simulations in two dimensions using a continuum version of the Swendsen-Wang algorithm, compare the results with earlier simulations which used the…
Combining tree decomposition and transfer matrix techniques provides a very general algorithm for computing exact partition functions of statistical models defined on arbitrary graphs. The algorithm is particularly efficient in the case of planar graphs. We illustrate it by computing the Potts model partition functions and chromatic polynomials (the number of proper vertex colourings using Q colours) for large samples of random planar graphs with up to N=100 vertices. In the latter case, our algorithm yields a sub-exponential average running time of ~ exp(1.516 sqrt(N)), a substantial improvem…
We present exact calculations of the zero-temperature partition function for the q-state Potts antiferromagnet (equivalently, the chromatic polynomial) for two families of arbitrarily long strip graphs of the square lattice with periodic boundary conditions in the transverse direction and (i) periodic (ii) twisted periodic boundary conditions in the longitudinal direction, so that the strip graphs are embedded on a (i) torus (ii) Klein bottle. In the limit of infinite length, we calculate the exponent of the entropy, W(q), show it to be the same for (i) and (ii), and determine its analytic str…
The statistical properties of random lattice knots, the topology of which is determined by the algebraic topological Jones-Kauffman invariants was studied by analytical and numerical methods. The Kauffman polynomial invariant of a random knot diagram was represented by a partition function of the Potts model with a random configuration of ferro- and antiferromagnetic bonds, which allowed the probability distribution of the random dense knots on a flat square lattice over topological classes to be studied. A topological class is characterized by the highest power of the Kauffman polynomial inva…
We analyse in this article the critical behavior of $M$ $q_1$-state Potts models coupled to $N$ $q_2$-state Potts models ($q_1,q_2\in [2..4]$) with and without disorder. The technics we use are based on perturbed conformal theories. Calculations have been performed at two loops. We already find some interesting situations in the pure case for some peculiar values of $M$ and $N$ with new tricritical points. When adding weak disorder, the results we obtain tend to show that disorder makes the models decouple. Therefore, no relations emerges, at a perturbation level, between for example the disor…
We consider two models with disorder dominated critical points and study the distribution of clusters which are confined in strips and touch one or both boundaries. For the classical random bond Potts model in the large-q limit we study optimal Fortuin-Kasteleyn clusters by combinatorial optimization algorithm. For the random transverse-field Ising chain clusters are defined and calculated through the strong disorder renormalization group method. The numerically calculated density profiles close to the boundaries are shown to follow scaling predictions. For the random bond Potts model we have …
We prove that the 3-state Potts antiferromagnet on the diced lattice (dual of the kagome lattice) has entropically-driven long-range order at low temperatures (including zero). We then present Monte Carlo simulations, using a cluster algorithm, of the 3-state and 4-state models. The 3-state model has a phase transition to the high-temperature disordered phase at v = e^J - 1 = -0.860599 +- 0.000004 that appears to be in the universality class of the 3-state Potts ferromagnet. The 4-state model is disordered throughout the physical region, including at zero temperature.
We present transfer matrices for the zero-temperature partition function of the $q$-state Potts antiferromagnet (equivalently, the chromatic polynomial) on cyclic and Möbius strips of the square, triangular, and honeycomb lattices of width $L_y$ and arbitrarily great length $L_x$. We relate these results to our earlier exact solutions for square-lattice strips with $L_y=3,4,5$, triangular-lattice strips with $L_y=2,3,4$, and honeycomb-lattice strips with $L_y=2,3$ and periodic or twisted periodic boundary conditions. We give a general expression for the chromatic polynomial of a Möbius strip o…
We present exact solutions for the zero-temperature partition function (chromatic polynomial $P$) and the ground state degeneracy per site $W$ (= exponent of the ground-state entropy) for the $q$-state Potts antiferromagnet on strips of the square lattice of width $L_y$ vertices and arbitrarily great length $L_x$ vertices. The specific solutions are for (a) $L_y=4$, $(FBC_y,PBC_x)$ (cyclic); (b) $L_y=4$, $(FBC_y,TPBC_x)$ (Möbius); (c) $L_y=5,6$, $(PBC_y,FBC_x)$ (cylindrical); and (d) $L_y=5$, $(FBC_y,FBC_x)$ (open), where $FBC$, $PBC$, and $TPBC$ denote free, periodic, and twisted periodic bou…
We present exact solutions for the zero-temperature partition function of the $q$-state Potts antiferromagnet (equivalently, the chromatic polynomial $P$) on tube sections of the simple cubic lattice of fixed transverse size $L_x \times L_y$ and arbitrarily great length $L_z$, for sizes $L_x \times L_y = 2 \times 3$ and $2 \times 4$ and boundary conditions (a) $(FBC_x,FBC_y,FBC_z)$ and (b) $(PBC_x,FBC_y,FBC_z)$, where $FBC$ ($PBC$) denote free (periodic) boundary conditions. In the limit of infinite-length, $L_z \to \infty$, we calculate the resultant ground state degeneracy per site $W$ (= ex…
We study the zero-temperature partition function of the Potts antiferromagnet (i.e., the chromatic polynomial) on a torus using a transfer-matrix approach. We consider square- and triangular-lattice strips with fixed width L, arbitrary length N, and fully periodic boundary conditions. On the mathematical side, we obtain exact expressions for the chromatic polynomial of widths L=5,6,7 for the square and triangular lattices. On the physical side, we obtain the exact ``phase diagrams'' for these strips of width L and infinite length, and from these results we extract useful information about the …
We present exact calculations of chromatic polynomials for families of cyclic graphs consisting of linked polygons, where the polygons may be adjacent or separated by a given number of bonds. From these we calculate the (exponential of the) ground state entropy, $W$, for the q-state Potts model on these graphs in the limit of infinitely many vertices. A number of properties are proved concerning the continuous locus, ${\cal B}$, of nonanalyticities in $W$. Our results provide further evidence for a general rule concerning the maximal region in the complex q plane to which one can analytically …
We present exact calculations of the zero-temperature partition function (chromatic polynomial) $P$ for the $q$-state Potts antiferromagnet on triangular lattice strips of arbitrarily great length $L_x$ vertices and of width $L_y=3$ vertices and, in the $L_x \to \infty$ limit, the exponent of the ground-state entropy, $W=e^{S_0/k_B}$. The strips considered, with their boundary conditions ($BC$) are (a) $(FBC_y,PBC_x)=$ cyclic, (b) $(FBC_y,TPBC_x)=$ Möbius, (c) $(PBC_y,PBC_x)=$ toroidal, and (d) $(PBC_y,TPBC_x)=$ Klein bottle, where $F$, $P$, and $TP$ denote free, periodic, and twisted periodic…
We present exact calculations of the zero-temperature partition function of the $q$-state Potts antiferromagnet on arbitrarily long strips of the square, triangular, and kagomé lattices with width $L_y=2$ or 3 vertices and with periodic longitudinal boundary conditions. From these, in the limit of infinite length, we obtain the exact ground-state entropy $S_0=k_B \ln W$. These results are of interest since this model exhibits nonzero ground state entropy $S_0 > 0$ for sufficiently large $q$ and hence is an exception to the third law of thermodynamics. We also include results for homeomorphic e…
We present exact calculations of the zero-temperature partition function for the $q$-state Potts antiferromagnet (equivalently, the chromatic polynomial) for families of arbitrarily long strip graphs of the square and triangular lattices with width $L_y=4$ and boundary conditions that are doubly periodic or doubly periodic with reversed orientation (i.e. of torus or Klein bottle type). These boundary conditions have the advantage of removing edge effects. In the limit of infinite length, we calculate the exponent of the entropy, $W(q)$ and determine the continuous locus ${\cal B}$ where it is …
We present a set of general results on structural features of the $q$-state Potts model partition function $Z(G,q,v)$ for arbitrary $q$ and temperature Boltzmann variable $v$ for various lattice strips of arbitrarily great width $L_y$ vertices and length $L_x$ vertices, including (i) cyclic and Möbius strips of the square and triangular lattice, and (ii) self-dual cyclic strips of the square lattice. We also present an exact solution for the chromatic polynomial for the cyclic and Möbius strips of the square lattice with width $L_y=5$ (the greatest width for which an exact solution has been ob…
I show that the zeros of the chromatic polynomials P_G(q) for the generalized theta graphs Θ^{(s,p)} are, taken together, dense in the whole complex plane with the possible exception of the disc |q-1| < 1. The same holds for their dichromatic polynomials (alias Tutte polynomials, alias Potts-model partition functions) Z_G(q,v) outside the disc |q+v| < |v|. An immediate corollary is that the chromatic zeros of not-necessarily-planar graphs are dense in the whole complex plane. The main technical tool in the proof of these results is the Beraha-Kahane-Weiss theorem on the limit sets of zeros for…
We study, using transfer-matrix methods, the partition-function zeros of the square-lattice q-state Potts antiferromagnet at zero temperature (= square-lattice chromatic polynomial) for the special boundary conditions that are obtained from an m x n grid with free boundary conditions by adjoining one new vertex adjacent to all the sites in the leftmost column and a second new vertex adjacent to all the sites in the rightmost column. We provide numerical evidence that the partition-function zeros are becoming dense everywhere in the complex q-plane outside the limiting curve B_\infty(sq) for th…
The zero-temperature $q$-state Potts model partition function for a lattice strip of fixed width $L_y$ and arbitrary length $L_x$ has the form $P(G,q)=\sum_{j=1}^{N_{G,λ}}c_{G,j}(λ_{G,j})^{L_x}$, and is equivalent to the chromatic polynomial for this graph. We present exact zero-temperature partition functions for strips of several lattices with $(FBC_y,PBC_x)$, i.e., cyclic, boundary conditions. In particular, the chromatic polynomial of a family of generalized dodecahedra graphs is calculated. The coefficient $c_{G,j}$ of degree $d$ in $q$ is $c^{(d)}=U_{2d}(\frac{\sqrt{q}}{2})$, where $U_n(…
In this paper we present exact calculations of the partition function $Z$ of the $q$-state Potts model and its generalization to real $q$, for arbitrary temperature on $n$-vertex strip graphs, of width $L_y=2$ and arbitrary length, of the triangular lattice with free, cyclic, and Möbius longitudinal boundary conditions. These partition functions are equivalent to Tutte/Whitney polynomials for these graphs. The free energy is calculated exactly for the infinite-length limit of the graphs, and the thermodynamics is discussed. Considering the full generalization to arbitrary complex $q$ and tempe…
Let $P(G,q)$ be the chromatic polynomial for coloring the $n$-vertex graph $G$ with $q$ colors, and define $W=\lim_{n \to \infty}P(G,q)^{1/n}$. Besides their mathematical interest, these functions are important in statistical physics. We give a comparative discussion of exact calculations of $P$ and $W$ for a variety of recursive families of graphs, including strips of regular lattices with various boundary conditions and homeomorphic expansions thereof. Generalizing to $q \in {\mathbb C}$, we determine the accumulation sets of the chromatic zeros constituting the continuous loci of points on …
The multivariate Tutte polynomial (known to physicists as the Potts-model partition function) can be defined on an arbitrary finite graph G, or more generally on an arbitrary matroid M, and encodes much important combinatorial information about the graph (indeed, in the matroid case it encodes the full structure of the matroid). It contains as a special case the familiar two-variable Tutte polynomial -- and therefore also its one-variable specializations such as the chromatic polynomial, the flow polynomial and the reliability polynomial -- but is considerably more flexible. I begin by giving …
We report exact calculations of the ground state degeneracy per site (exponent of the ground state entropy) $W(\{G\},q)$ of the $q$-state Potts antiferromagnet on infinitely long strips with specified end graphs for free boundary conditions in the longitudinal direction and free and periodic boundary conditions in the transverse direction. This is equivalent to calculating the chromatic polynomials and their asymptotic limits for these graphs. Making the generalization from $q \in {\mathbb Z}_+$ to $q \in {\mathbb C}$, we determine the full locus ${\cal B}$ on which $W$ is nonanalytic in the c…
We present an exact renormalization group analysis of the Loschmidt amplitude of the quantum $N$-state Potts chain with random quench-disordered nearest neighbor bonds, under the extreme dynamical quantum quench. We prove that the phase transition of the Loschmidt rate function remains sharp in general. For typical bond distributions, the phase transition is found to be a linear-cusp, as in the pure model. For some special discrete bond distributions, however, the rate function exhibits logarithmic divergences. These singularities are due to the competition between the non-critical dynamical p…
Biskup et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 84 (2000) 4794] have recently suggested that the loci of partition function zeroes can profitably be regarded as phase boundaries in the complex temperature or field planes. We obtain the Fisher zeroes for Ising and Potts models on non-planar (``thin'') regular random graphs using this approach, and note that the locus of Fisher zeroes on a Bethe lattice is identical to the corresponding random graph. Since the number of states appears as a parameter in the Potts solution the limiting locus of chromatic zeroes is also accessible.
We report exact results concerning the zeros of the partition function of the Potts model in the complex $q$ plane, as a function of a temperature-like Boltzmann variable $v$, for the $m$'th iterate graphs $D_m$ of the Diamond Hierarchical Lattice (DHL), including the limit $m \to \infty$. In this limit we denote the continuous accumulation locus of zeros in the $q$ planes at fixed $v = v_0$ as ${\mathcal B}_q(v_0)$. We apply theorems from complex dynamics to establish properties of ${\mathcal B}_q(v_0)$. For $v=-1$ (the zero-temperature Potts antiferromagnet, or equivalently, chromatic polyno…
We present exact calculations of the partition function of the $q$-state Potts model on (i) open, (ii) cyclic, and (iii) Möbius strips of the honeycomb (brick) lattice of width $L_y=2$ and arbitrarily great length. In the infinite-length limit the thermodynamic properties are discussed. The continuous locus of singularities of the free energy is determined in the $q$ plane for fixed temperature and in the complex temperature plane for fixed $q$ values. We also give exact calculations of the zero-temperature partition function (chromatic polynomial) and $W(q)$, the exponent of the ground-state …
We consider the problem of inferring a graphical Potts model on a population of variables, with a non-uniform number of Potts colors (symbols) across variables. This inverse Potts problem generally involves the inference of a large number of parameters, often larger than the number of available data, and, hence, requires the introduction of regularization. We study here a double regularization scheme, in which the number of colors available to each variable is reduced, and interaction networks are made sparse. To achieve this color compression scheme, only Potts states with large empirical fre…
We calculate the chromatic polynomials $P((G_s)_m,q)$ and, from these, the asymptotic limiting functions $W(\{G_s\},q)=\lim_{n \to \infty}P(G_s,q)^{1/n}$ for families of $n$-vertex graphs $(G_s)_m$ comprised of $m$ repeated subgraphs $H$ adjoined to an initial graph $I$. These calculations of $W(\{G_s\},q)$ for infinitely long strips of varying widths yield important insights into properties of $W(Λ,q)$ for two-dimensional lattices $Λ$. In turn, these results connect with statistical mechanics, since $W(Λ,q)$ is the ground state degeneracy of the $q$-state Potts model on the lattice $Λ$. For o…
We investigate in this paper the ground state and the nature of the transition from an orientational ordered phase at low temperature to the disordered state at high temperature in a molecular crystal. Our model is a Potts model which takes into account the exchange interaction $J$ between nearest-neighbor molecules and a dipolar interaction between molecular axes in three dimensions. The dipolar interaction is characterized by two parameters: its amplitude $D$ and the cutoff distance $r_c$. If the molecular axis at a lattice site has three orientations, say the $x$, $y$ or $z$ axes, then when…
Phase transitions in spin glass type systems and, more recently, in related computational problems have gained broad interest in disparate arenas. In the current work, we focus on the "community detection" problem when cast in terms of a general Potts spin glass type problem. As such, our results apply to rather broad Potts spin glass type systems. Community detection describes the general problem of partitioning a complex system involving many elements into optimally decoupled "communities" of such elements. We report on phase transitions between solvable and unsolvable regimes. Solvable regi…
We consider the $q$-state Potts model on families of self-dual strip graphs $G_D$ of the square lattice of width $L_y$ and arbitrarily great length $L_x$, with periodic longitudinal boundary conditions. The general partition function $Z$ and the T=0 antiferromagnetic special case $P$ (chromatic polynomial) have the respective forms $\sum_{j=1}^{N_{F,L_y,λ}} c_{F,L_y,j} (λ_{F,L_y,j})^{L_x}$, with $F=Z,P$. For arbitrary $L_y$, we determine (i) the general coefficient $c_{F,L_y,j}$ in terms of Chebyshev polynomials, (ii) the number $n_F(L_y,d)$ of terms with each type of coefficient, and (iii) th…
We calculate the chromatic polynomials $P$ for $n$-vertex strip graphs of the form $J(\prod_{\ell=1}^m H)I$, where $J$ and $I$ are various subgraphs on the left and right ends of the strip, whose bulk is comprised of $m$-fold repetitions of a subgraph $H$. The strips have free boundary conditions in the longitudinal direction and free or periodic boundary conditions in the transverse direction. This extends our earlier calculations for strip graphs of the form $(\prod_{\ell=1}^m H)I$. We use a generating function method. From these results we compute the asymptotic limiting function $W=\lim_{n…
The Tutte polynomial is a generalization of the chromatic polynomial of graph colorings. Here we present an extension called the rooted Tutte polynomial, which is defined on a graph where one or more vertices are colored with prescribed colors. We establish a number of results pertaining to the rooted Tutte polynomial, including a duality relation in the case that all roots reside around a single face of a planar graph. The connection with the Potts model is also reviewed.
