We study the Potts model (defined geometrically in the cluster picture) on finite two-dimensional lattices of size L x N, with boundary conditions that are free in the L-direction and periodic in the N-direction. The decomposition of the partition function in terms of the characters K\_{1+2l} (with l=0,1,...,L) has previously been studied using various approaches (quantum groups, combinatorics, transfer matrices). We first show that the K\_{1+2l} thus defined actually coincide, and can be written as traces of suitable transfer matrices in the cluster picture. We then proceed to similarly decompose constrained partition functions in which exactly j clusters are non-contractible with respect to the periodic lattice direction, and a partition function with fixed transverse boundary conditions.
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 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 identify the quantum group ${\Large\textsl{U}}_\textsl{w}(sl_2)$ in the $L$-operator of $τ^{(2)}$-model for a generic $\textsl{w}$ as a subalgebra of $U_{\sf q} (sl_2)$ with $\textsl{w} = {\sf q}^{-2}$. In the roots of unity case, ${\sf q}=q, \textsl{w} = ω$ with $q^{\bf n} = ω^N = 1$, the eigenvalues and eigenvectors of XXZ-model with the $U_q (sl_2)$-cyclic representation are determined by the $τ^{(2)}$-model with the induced ${\Large\textsl{U}}_ω(sl_2)$-cyclic representation, which is decomposed as a finite sum of $τ^{(2)}$-models in non-superintegrable inhomogeneous $N$-state chiral Pot…
We identify the precise relationship between the five-parameter $τ^{(2)}$-family in the $N$-state chiral Potts model and XXZ chains with $U_q (sl_2)$-cyclic representation. By studying the Yang-Baxter relation of the six-vertex model, we discover an one-parameter family of $L$-operators in terms of the quantum group $U_q (sl_2)$. When $N$ is odd, the $N$-state $τ^{(2)}$-model can be regarded as the XXZ chain of $U_{\sf q} (sl_2)$ cyclic representations with ${\sf q}^N=1$. The symmetry algebra of the $τ^{(2)}$-model is described by the quantum affine algebra $U_{\sf q} (\hat{sl}_2)$ via the can…
We demonstrate that the transfer matrix of the inhomogeneous $N$-state chiral Potts model with two vertical superintegrable rapidities serves as the $Q$-operator of XXZ chain model for a cyclic representation of $U_{\sf q}(sl_2)$ with $N$th root-of-unity ${\sf q}$ and representation-parameter for odd $N$. The symmetry problem of XXZ chain with a general cyclic $U_{\sf q}(sl_2)$-representation is mapped onto the problem of studying $Q$-operator of some special one-parameter family of generalized $τ^{(2)}$-models. In particular, the spin-$\frac{N-1}{2}$ XXZ chain model with ${\sf q}^N=1$ and the…
In this paper we discuss the integrable chiral Potts model, as it clearly relates to how we got befriended with Vaughan Jones, whose birthday we celebrated at the Qinhuangdao meeting. Remarkably we can also celebrate the birthday of the model, as it has been introduced about 30 years ago as the first solution of the star-triangle equations parametrized in terms of higher genus functions. After introducing the most general checkerboard Yang--Baxter equation, we specialize to the star-triangle equation, also discussing its relation with knot theory. Then we show how the integrable chiral Potts m…
We present exact calculations of the partition function $Z$ of the $q$-state Potts model and its generalization to real $q$, the random cluster model, for arbitrary temperature on $n$-vertex ladder graphs 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 these ladder graphs and the thermodynamics is discussed.
We present exact calculations of the partition function of the q-state Potts model for general q and temperature on strips of the square lattice of width L_y=3 vertices and arbitrary length L_x with periodic longitudinal boundary conditions, of the following types: (i) (FBC_y,PBC_x)= cyclic, (ii) (FBC_y,TPBC_x)= Möbius, (iii) (PBC_y,PBC_x)= toroidal, and (iv) (PBC_y,TPBC_x)= Klein bottle, where FBC and (T)PBC refer to free and (twisted) periodic boundary conditions. Results for the L_y=2 torus and Klein bottle strips are also included. In the infinite-length limit the thermodynamic properties …
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 study birational transformations of the projective space originating from lattice statistical mechanics, specifically from various chiral Potts models. Associating these models to \emph{stable patterns} and \emph{signed-patterns}, we give general results which allow us to find \emph{all} chiral $q$-state spin-edge Potts models when the number of states $q$ is a prime or the square of a prime, as well as several $q$-dependent family of models. We also prove the absence of monocolor stable signed-pattern with more than four states. This demonstrates a conjecture about cyclic Hadamard matrices…
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…
We extend our combinatorial approach of decomposing the partition function of the Potts model on finite two-dimensional lattices of size L x N to the case of toroidal boundary conditions. The elementary quantities in this decomposition are characters K\_{l,D} labelled by a number of bridges l=0,1,...,L and an irreducible representation D of the symmetric group S\_l. We develop an operational method of determining the amplitudes of the eigenvalues as well as some of their degeneracies.
We consider the Q-state Potts model in the random-cluster formulation, defined on finite two-dimensional lattices of size L x N with toroidal boundary conditions. Due to the non-locality of the clusters, the partition function Z(L,N) cannot be written simply as a trace of the transfer matrix T\_L. Using a combinatorial method, we establish the decomposition Z(L,N) = \sum\_{l,D\_k} b^{l,D\_k} K\_{l,D\_k}, where the characters K\_{l,D\_k} = \sum\_i (λ\_i)^N are simple traces. In this decomposition, the amplitudes b^{l,D\_k} of the eigenvalues λ\_i of T\_L are labelled by the number l=0,1,...,L 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 give a sheaf theoretic interpretation of Potts models with external magnetic field, in terms of constructible sheaves and their Euler characteristics. We show that the polynomial countability question for the hypersurfaces defined by the vanishing of the partition function is affected by changes in the magnetic field: elementary examples suffice to see non-polynomially countable cases that become polynomially countable after a perturbation of the magnetic field. The same recursive formula for the Grothendieck classes, under edge-doubling operations, holds as in the case without magnetic fie…
We initiate a study of the boundary version of the square-lattice $Q$-state Potts antiferromagnet, with $Q \in [0,4]$ real, motivated by the fact that the continuum limit of the corresponding bulk model is a non-compact CFT, closely related with the $SL(2,\mathbb{R})_k/U(1)$ Euclidian black-hole coset model. While various types of conformal boundary conditions (discrete and continuous branes) have been formally identified for the the $SL(2,\mathbb{R})_k/U(1)$ coset CFT, we are only able in this work to identify conformal boundary conditions (CBC) leading to a discrete boundary spectrum. The co…
In this study, we investigate the energy landscape of the Ising and Potts models on fixed and finite but large three-dimensional (3D) lattices where no external field exists and quantitatively characterize the metastable behavior of the associated Glauber dynamics in the very low temperature regime. Such analyses for the models with non-zero external magnetic fields have been extensively performed over the past two decades; however, models without external fields remained uninvestigated. Recently, the corresponding investigation has been conducted for the two-dimensional (2D) model without an …
The chromatic polynomial P_G(q) of a loopless graph G is known to be nonzero (with explicitly known sign) on the intervals (-\infty,0), (0,1) and (1,32/27]. Analogous theorems hold for the flow polynomial of bridgeless graphs and for the characteristic polynomial of loopless matroids. Here we exhibit all these results as special cases of more general theorems on real zero-free regions of the multivariate Tutte polynomial Z_G(q,v). The proofs are quite simple, and employ deletion-contraction together with parallel and series reduction. In particular, they shed light on the origin of the curious…
