We study the quantum Witten-Kontsevich series introduced by Buryak, Dubrovin, Guéré and Rossi in \cite{buryak2016integrable} as the logarithm of a quantum tau function for the quantum KdV hierarchy. This series depends on a genus parameter $ε$ and a quantum parameter $\hbar$. When $\hbar=0$, this series restricts to the Witten-Kontsevich generating series for intersection numbers of psi classes on moduli spaces of stable curves. We establish a link between the $ε=0$ part of the quantum Witten-Kontsevich series and one-part double Hurwitz numbers. These numbers count the number non-equivalent holomorphic maps from a Riemann surface of genus $g$ to $\mathbb{P}^{1}$ with a prescribe ramification profile over $0$, a complete ramification over $\infty$ and a given number of simple ramifications elsewhere. Goulden, Jackson and Vakil proved in \cite{goulden2005towards} that these numbers have the property to be polynomial in the orders of ramification over $0$. We prove that the coefficients of these polynomials are the coefficients of the quantum Witten-Kontsevich series. We also present some partial results about the full quantum Witten-Kontsevich power series.
Since the ($β$-deformed) Hurwitz Kontsevich model corresponds to the special case of affine Yangian of ${\mathfrak{gl}}(1)$. In this paper, we construct two general cases of the $β$-deformed Hurwitz Kontsevich model. We find that the $W$-operators of these two models can be represented by the generators $e_k,\ f_k,ψ_k$ of the affine Yangian of ${\mathfrak{gl}}(1)$, and the eigenstates (the symmetric functions $Y_λ$ and 3-Jack polynomials) can be obtained from the 3D Young diagram representation of affine Yangian of ${\mathfrak{gl}}(1)$. Then we can see that the $W$-operators and eigenstates ar…
In this letter,we present our conjecture on the connection between the Kontsevich--Witten and the Hurwitz tau-functions. The conjectural formula connects these two tau-functions by means of the $GL(\infty)$ group element. An important feature of this group element is its simplicity: this is a group element of the Virasoro subalgebra of $gl(\infty)$. If proved, this conjecture would allow to derive the Virasoro constraints for the Hurwitz tau-function, which remain unknown in spite of existence of several matrix model representations, as well as to give an integrable operator description of the…
M.Kazarian and S.Lando found a 1-parametric interpolation between Kontsevich and Hurwitz partition functions, which entirely lies within the space of KP tau-functions. V.Bouchard and M.Marino suggested that this interpolation satisfies some deformed Virasoro constraints. However, they described the constraints in a somewhat sophisticated form of AMM-Eynard equations for the rather involved Lambert spectral curve. Here we present the relevant family of Virasoro constraints explicitly. They differ from the conventional continuous Virasoro constraints in the simplest possible way: by a constant s…
We prove the equivalence between two explicit expressions for two-point Witten-Kontsevich correlators obtained by M. Bertola, B. Dubrovin, D. Yang and by P. Zograf.
Using matrix model, Mironov and Morozov recently gave a formula which represents Kontsevich-Witten tau-function as a linear expansion of Schur Q-polynomials. In this paper, we will show directly that the Q-polynomial expansion in this formula satisfies the Virasoro constraints, and consequently obtain a proof of this formula without using matrix model. We also give a proof for Alexandrov's conjecture that Kontsevich-Witten tau-function is a hypergeometric tau-function of the BKP hierarchy after re-scaling.
We give a proof of Alexandrov's conjecture on a formula connecting the Kontsevich-Witten and Hodge tau-functions using only the Virasoro operators. This formula has been confirmed up to an unknown constant factor. In this paper, we show that this factor is indeed equal to one by investigating series expansions for the Lambert W function on different points.
The main goal of the paper is to present a new approach via Hurwitz numbers to Kontsevich's combinatorial/matrix model for the intersection theory of the moduli space of curves. A secondary goal is to present an exposition of the circle of ideas involved: Hurwitz numbers, Gromov-Witten theory of the projective line, matrix integrals, and the theory of random trees. Further topics will be treated in a sequel.
Based on the work of Itzykson and Zuber on Kontsevich's integrals, we give a geometric interpretation and a simple proof of Zhou's explicit formula for the Witten-Kontsevich tau function. More precisely, we show that the numbers $A_{m,n}^{Zhou}$ defined by Zhou coincide with the affine coordinates for the point of the Sato Grassmannian corresponding to the Witten-Kontsevich tau function. Generating functions and new recursion relations for $A_{m,n}^{Zhou}$ are derived. Our formulation on matrix-valued affine coordinates and on tau functions remains valid for generic Grassmannian solutions of t…
The Brezin-Gross-Witten (BGW) model is one of the basic examples in the class of non-eigenvalue unitary matrix models. The generalized BGW tau-function $τ_N$ was constructed from a one parametric deformation of the original BGW model using the generalized Kontsevich model representation. It is a tau-function of the KdV hierarchy for any value of $N\in{\mathbb C}$, where the case $N=0$ reduces to the original BGW tau-function. In this paper, we present a representation of $τ_N$ in terms of the $W_{1+\infty}$ operators that preserves the KP integrability. This naturally establishes a connection …
In this paper, we present an explicit formula that connects the Kontsevich-Witten tau-function and the Hodge tau-function by differential operators belonging to the $\hat{GL(\infty)}$ group. Indeed, we show that the two tau-functions can be connected using Virasoro operators. This proves a conjecture posted by Alexandrov in [1].
In this short note we construct a simple cut-and-join operator representation for Kontsevich-Witten tau-function that is the partition function of the two-dimensional topological gravity. Our derivation is based on the Virasoro constraints. Possible applications of the obtained expression are discussed.
Infinite-dimensional universal Cardy-Frobenius algebra is constructed, which unifies all particular algebras of closed and open Hurwitz numbers and is closely related to the algebra of differential operators, familiar from the theory of Generalized Kontsevich Model.
We prove that a generalisation of simple Hurwitz numbers due to Johnson, Pandharipande and Tseng satisfy the topological recursion of Eynard and Orantin. This generalises the Bouchard-Marino conjecture and places Hurwitz-Hodge integrals, which arise in the Gromov--Witten theory of target curves with orbifold structure, in the context of the Eynard-Orantin topological recursion.
We study monotone and strictly monotone Hurwitz numbers from a bosonic Fock space perspective. This yields to an interpretation in terms of tropical geometry involving local multiplicities given by Gromov-Witten invariants. Furthermore, this enables us to prove that a main result of Cavalieri-Johnson-Markwig-Ranganathan is a actually a refinement of the Gromov-Witten/Hurwitz correspondence by Okounkov-Pandharipande.
In this paper, we prove that the generalized Brézin-Gross-Witten tau-function is a hypergeometric solution of the BKP hierarchy with simple weight generating function. We claim that it describes a spin version of the strictly monotone Hurwitz numbers. A family of the hypergeometric tau-functions of the BKP hierarchy, corresponding to the rational weight generating functions, is investigated. In particular, the cut-and-join operators are constructed, and the explicit description of the BKP Sato Grassmannian points is derived. Representatives of this family can be associated with interesting fam…
We apply the wall crossing structure formalism of Kontsevich and Soibelman to Seiberg-Witten integrable systems associated to pure $SU(3)$. This gives an algorithm for computing the Donaldson-Thomas invariants, which correspond to BPS degeneracy of the corresponding BPS states in physics. The main ingredients of this algorithm are the use of split attractor flows and Kontsevich Soibelman wall crossing formulas. Besides the known BPS spectrum in pure $SU(3)$ case, we obtain new family of BPS states with BPS-invariants equal to 2.
We explain how Gaussian integrals over ensemble of complex matrices with source matrices generate Hurwitz numbers of the most general type, namely, Hurwitz numbers with arbitrary orientable or non-orientable base surface and arbitrary profiles at branch points. We use the Feynman diagram approach. The connections with topological theories and also with certain classical and quantum integrable theories in particular with Witten's description of two-dimensional gauge theory are shown.
We study mirror symmetry for orbifold Hurwitz numbers. We show that the Laplace transform of orbifold Hurwitz numbers satisfy a differential recursion, which is then proved to be equivalent to the integral recursion of Eynard and Orantin with spectral curve given by the r-Lambert curve. We argue that the r-Lambert curve also arises in the infinite framing limit of orbifold Gromov-Witten theory of [C3/(Z/rZ)]. Finally, we prove that the mirror model to orbifold Hurwitz numbers admits a quantum curve.
We review some relations occurring between the combinatorial intersection theory on the moduli spaces of stable curves and the asymptotic behavior of the 't Hooft-Kontsevich matrix integrals. In particular, we give an alternative proof of the Witten-Di Francesco-Itzykson-Zuber theorem --which expresses derivatives of the partition function of intersection numbers as matrix integrals-- using techniques based on diagrammatic calculus and combinatorial relations among intersection numbers. These techniques extend to a more general interaction potential.
The generating series of the intersection numbers of the stable cohomology classes on moduli spaces of curves satisfies the string equation and a KdV hierarchy. Kontsevich's original proof of this result uses a matrix model and the matrix Airy equation. Witten then recasted Kontsevich's results in terms of Virasoro algebras, by means of an ingenious mixture of Feynman diagrams techniques and integrations by parts with some "rather formidable choice" of the integrands. In this note we show how Witten's formidable choices can be bartered for standard Feynman diagram manipulations, as soon as one…
We explain how to construct a quantum deformation of a spectral curve to a tau-function of the KP hierarchy. This construction is applied to Witten-Kontsevich tau-function to give a natural explanation of some earlier work. We also apply it to higher Weil-Petersson volumes and Witten's r-spin intersection numbers.
Simple Hurwitz numbers enumerate branched morphisms between Riemann surfaces with fixed ramification data. In recent years, several variants of this notion for genus $0$ base curves have appeared in the literature. Among them are so-called monotone Hurwitz numbers, which are related to the HCIZ integral in random matrix theory and strictly monotone Hurwitz numbers which count certain Grothendieck dessins d'enfants. We generalise the notion of Hurwitz numbers to interpolations between simple, monotone and strictly monotone Hurwitz numbers to any genus and any number of arbitrary but fixed ramif…
In their recent inspiring paper Mironov and Morozov claim a surprisingly simple expansion formula for the Kontsevich-Witten tau-function in terms of the Schur Q-functions. Here we provide a similar conjecture for the Brézin-Gross-Witten tau-function. Moreover, we identify both tau-functions of the KdV hierarchy, which describe intersection numbers on the moduli spaces of punctured Riemann surfaces, with the hypergeometric solutions of the BKP hierarchy.
In a recent work, R. Pandharipande, J. P. Solomon and the second author have initiated a study of the intersection theory on the moduli space of Riemann surfaces with boundary. They conjectured that the generating series of the intersection numbers satisfies the open KdV equations. In this paper we prove this conjecture. Our proof goes through a matrix model and is based on a Kontsevich type combinatorial formula for the intersection numbers that was found by the second author.
For an arbitrary solution to the KdV hierarchy, the generating series of logarithmic derivatives of the tau-function of the solution can be expressed by the basic matrix resolvent via algebraic manipulations. Based on this we develop in this paper two new formulae for the generating series by introducing a pair of wave functions of the solution. Applications to the Witten--Kontsevich tau-function, to the generalized Brézin--Gross--Witten (BGW) tau-function, as well as to a modular deformation of the generalized BGW tau-function which we call the Lamé tau-function are also given.
We propose a new formula to compute Witten--Kontsevich intersection numbers. It is a closed formula, not involving recursion neither solving equations. It only involves sums over partitions of products of factorials, double factorials and Kostka numbers (numbers of semi-standard tableau of given shape and weight) with bounded weights. As an application, we prove a conjecture of [ELO21] stating that the generating polynomials of the intersection numbers expressed in the basis of elementary symmetric polynomials have an unexpected vanishing of their coefficients.
