We study discrete statistical mechanics systems perturbed by a random environment without a finite second moment. Specifically, we consider a random environment whose tail distribution satisfies $P[ω> x] \sim x^{-γ}$ as $x \to +\infty$ for some $γ\in (1,2)$. Inspired by the seminal work of Caravenna, Sun and Zygouras \cite{csz_2016}, we adopt a general framework that encompasses as key examples both the disordered pinning model and the long-range directed polymer model. We provide some subcriticality condition under which we prove that the discrete disordered system possesses a non-trivial scaling limit. We also interpret the subcriticality condition in terms of a generalized Harris criterion without second moment, which gives a prediction for disorder relevance depending on the parameters of the system. Our analysis relies on the study of multilinear polynomials of independent heavy-tailed random variables known as polynomial chaos and their continuous analogue, given by multiple integrals with respect to a $γ$-stable Lévy white noise. We develop precise and flexible moments estimates adapted to the heavy-tailed setting.
We propose a new definition of the Gaussian multiplicative chaos (GMC) and an approach based on the relation of subcritical GMC to randomized shifts of a Gaussian measure. Using this relation we prove general uniqueness and convergence results for subcritical GMC that hold for Gaussian fields with arbitrary covariance kernels.
We present a simple criterion, only based on second moment assumptions, for the convergence of polynomial or Wiener chaos to a Gaussian limit. We exploit this criterion to obtain new Gaussian asymptotics for the partition functions of two-dimensional directed polymers in the sub-critical regime, including a singular product between the partition function and the disorder. These results can also be applied to the KPZ and Stochastic Heat Equation. As a tool of independent interest, we derive an explicit chaos expansion which sharply approximates the logarithm of the partition function.
In the present paper, we show that (under some minor technical assumption) Complex Gaussian Multiplicative Chaos defined as the complex exponential of a $\log$-correlated Gaussian field can be obtained by taking the limit of the exponential of the field convoluted with a smoothing Kernel. We consider two types of chaos: $e^{γX}$ for a log correlated field $X$ and $γ=α+iβ$, $α, β\in \mathbb R$ and $e^{αX+iβY}$ for $X$ and $Y$ two independent fields with $α, β\in \mathbb R$. Our result is valid in the range $$ \mathcal O_{\mathrm{sub}}:=\{ α^2+β^2<d \} \cup \{ |α|\in (\sqrt{d/2},\sqrt{2d} ) \tex…
Inspired by recent work of Alberts, Khanin and Quastel, we formulate general conditions ensuring that a sequence of multi-linear polynomials of independent random variables (called polynomial chaos expansions) converges to a limiting random variable, given by a Wiener chaos expansion over the d-dimensional white noise. A key ingredient in our approach is a Lindeberg principle for polynomial chaos expansions, which extends earlier work of Mossel, O'Donnell and Oleszkiewicz. These results provide a unified framework to study the continuum and weak disorder scaling limits of statistical mechanics…
We discuss a Gaussian multiplicative chaos (GMC) structure underlying a family of random measures $\mathbf{M}_r$, indexed by $r\in\mathbb{R}$, on a space $Γ$ of directed pathways crossing a diamond fractal with Hausdorff dimension two. The laws of these random continuum path measures arise in a critical weak-disorder limiting regime for discrete directed polymers on disordered hierarchical graphs. For the analogous subcritical continuum polymer model in which the diamond fractal has Hausdorff dimension less than two, the random path measures can be constructed as subcritical GMCs through coupl…
For an $N \times N$ random unitary matrix $U_N$, we consider the random field defined by counting the number of eigenvalues of $U_N$ in a mesoscopic arc of the unit circle, regularized at an $N$-dependent scale $ε_N>0$. We prove that the renormalized exponential of this field converges as $N \to \infty$ to a Gaussian multiplicative chaos measure in the whole subcritical phase. In addition, we show that the moments of the total mass converge to a Selberg-like integral and by taking a further limit as the size of the arc diverges, we establish part of the conjectures in \cite{Ost16}. By an analo…
We study non-Gaussian log-correlated multiplicative chaos, where the random field is defined as a sum of independent fields that satisfy suitable moment and regularity conditions. The convergence, existence of moments and analyticity with respect to the inverse temperature are proven for the resulting chaos in the full subcritical range. These results are generalizations of the corresponding theorems for Gaussian multiplicative chaos. A basic example where our results apply is the non-Gaussian Fourier series \[\sum_{k=1}^\infty \frac{1}{\sqrt{k}}(A_k \cos(2πk x) + B_k \sin(2πk x)),\] where $A_…
In this article we study the tail probability of the mass of critical Gaussian multiplicative chaos (GMC) associated to a general class of log-correlated Gaussian fields in any dimension, including the Gaussian free field (GFF) in dimension two. More precisely, we derive a fully explicit formula for the leading order asymptotics for the tail probability and demonstrate a new universality phenomenon. Our analysis here shares similar philosophy with the subcritical case but requires a different approach due to complications in the analogous localisation step, and we also employ techniques from r…
I discuss models for a continuum directed random polymer in a disordered environment in which the polymer lives on a fractal called the \textit{diamond hierarchical lattice}, a self-similar metric space forming a network of interweaving pathways. This fractal depends on a branching parameter $b\in \mathbb{N}$ and a segmenting number $s\in \mathbb{N}$. For $s>b$ my focus is on random measures on the set of directed paths that can be formulated as a subcritical Gaussian multiplicative chaos. This path measure is analogous to the continuum directed random polymer introduced by Alberts, Khanin, Qu…
We construct and study a family random continuum polymer measures $\mathbf{M}_{r}$ corresponding to limiting partition function laws recently derived in a weak-coupling regime of polymer models on hierarchical graphs with marginally relevant disorder. The continuum polymers, which we refer to as directed paths, are identified with isometric embeddings of the unit interval $[0,1]$ into a compact diamond fractal with Hausdorff dimension two, and there is a natural 'uniform' probability measure, $μ$, over the space of directed paths, $Γ$. Realizations of the random path measures $\mathbf{M}_{r}$ …
We study how the Gaussian multiplicative chaos (GMC) measures $μ^γ$ corresponding to the 2D Gaussian free field change when $γ$ approaches the critical parameter $2$. In particular, we show that as $γ\to 2^{-}$, $(2-γ)^{-1}μ^γ$ converges in probability to $2μ'$, where $μ'$ is the critical GMC measure.
Let $M_γ$ be a subcritical Gaussian multiplicative chaos measure associated with a general log-correlated Gaussian field defined on a bounded domain $D \subset \mathbb{R}^d$, $d \geq 1$. We find an explicit formula for its singularity spectrum by showing that $M_γ$ satisfies almost surely the multifractal formalism, i.e., we prove that its singularity spectrum is almost surely equal to the Legendre-Fenchel transform of its $L^q$-spectrum. Then, applying this result, we compute the lower singularity spectrum of the multifractal random walk and of the Liouville Brownian motion.
We prove convergence of a stochastic approximation of powers of the Riemann $ζ$ function to a non-Gaussian multiplicative chaos measure, and prove that this measure is a non-trivial multifractal random measure. The results cover both the subcritical and critical chaos. A basic ingredient of the proof is a 'good' Gaussian approximation of the induced random fields that is potentially of independent interest.
In this note we prove that suitable positive powers of the absolute value of the characteristic polynomial of a Haar distributed random unitary matrix converge in law, as the size of the matrix tends to infinity, to a Gaussian multiplicative chaos measure once correctly normalized. We prove this in the whole $L^1$- or subcritical phase of the chaos measure.
Disordered systems are an important class of models in statistical mechanics, having the defining characteristic that the energy landscape is a fixed realization of a random field. Examples include various models of glasses and polymers. They also arise in other areas, like fitness models in evolutionary biology. The ground state of a disordered system is the state with minimum energy. The system is said to be chaotic if a small perturbation of the energy landscape causes a drastic shift of the ground state. We present a rigorous theory of chaos in disordered systems that confirms long-standin…
We prove that multiplicative chaos measures can be constructed from extreme level sets or thick points of the underlying logarithmically correlated field. We develop a method which covers the whole subcritical phase and only requires asymptotics of suitable exponential moments for the field. As an application, we establish these estimates hold for the logarithm of the absolute value of the characteristic polynomial of a Haar distributed random unitary matrix (CUE), using known asymptotics for Toeplitz determinant with (merging) Fisher-Hartwig singularities. Hence, this proves a conjecture of F…
We consider a disordered system obtained by coupling two mixed even-spin models together. The chaos problem is concerned with the behavior of the coupled system when the external parameters in the two models, such as, temperature, disorder, or external field, are slightly different. It is conjectured that the overlap between two independently sampled spin configurations from, respectively, the Gibbs measures of the two models is essentially concentrated around a constant under the coupled Gibbs measure. Using the extended Guerra replica symmetry breaking bound together with a recent developmen…
