We study polynomial systems whose equations have as common support a set C of n+2 points in Z^n called a circuit. We find a bound on the number of real solutions to such systems which depends on n, the dimension of the affine span of the minimal affinely dependent subset of C, and the "rank modulo 2" of C. We prove that this bound is sharp by drawing so-called dessins d'enfant on the Riemann sphere. We also obtain that the maximal number of solutions with positive coordinates to systems supported on circuits in Z^n is n+1, which is very small comparatively to the bound given by the Khovanskii fewnomial theorem.
We introduce dessins d'enfants from the various existing points of view: As topological covering spaces, as surfaces with triangulations, and as algebraic curves with functions ramified over three points. We prove Belyi's theorem that such curves are defined over number fields, and define the action of the absolute Galois group Gal($\overline Q/Q$) on dessins d'enfants. We prove that several kinds of dessins d'enfants are defined over their field of moduli: regular dessins, dessins with no nontrivial automorphisms and dessins with one face. In the last part, we give two examples of regular des…
In this paper, we focus on properties of dessins d'enfants associated to trigonal curves. Degtyarev studied dessins d'enfants to compute braid monodromies and fundamental groups of trigonal curves using their combinatorial data. We first classify all possible combinatorial data that can occur for trigonal curves of low degree, as well as bounds on the number of possibilities for all degree. We also study deformations of trigonal curves and corresponding deformations of their dessins. Of special interest to Degtyarev was the case when the dessins are maximal. We give a sufficient condition for …
We construct exponentially large collections of pairwise distinct equisingular deformation families of irreducible plane curves sharing the same sets of singularities. The fundamental groups of all curves constructed are abelian.
In this work all the dessins d'enfant with no more than 4 edges are listed and their Belyi pairs are computed. In order to enumerate all dessins the technique of matrix model computations was used. The total number of dessins is 134; among them 77 are spherical, 53 of genus 1 and 4 of genus 2. The orders of automorphism groups of all the dessins are also found. Dessins are listed by the number of edges. Dessins with the same number of edges are ordered lexicographically by their lists of 0-valencies. The corresponding matrix model for any list of 0-valencies is given and computed. Complex matr…
We develop a geometric approach to the study of plane sextics with a triple singular point. As an application, we give an explicit geometric description of all irreducible maximal sextics with a type $\bold E_7$ singular point and compute their fundamental groups. All groups found are finite; one of them is nonabelian.
Almost two decades ago Zapponi introduced a notion of orientability of a clean dessin d'enfant, based on an orientation of the embedded bipartite graph. We extend this concept, which we call Z-orientability to distinguish it from the traditional topological definition, to the wider context of all dessins, and we use it to define a concept of twist orientability, which also takes account of the Z-orientability properties of those dessins obtained by permuting the roles of white and black vertices and face-centres. We observe that these properties are Galois-invariant, and we study the extent to…
We derive explicit formulae for the generating series of mixed Grothendieck dessins d'enfant/monotone/simple Hurwitz numbers, via the semi-infinite wedge formalism. This reveals the strong piecewise polynomiality in the sense of Goulden-Jackson-Vakil, generalising a result of Johnson, and provides a new explicit proof of the piecewise polynomiality of the mixed case. Moreover, we derive wall-crossing formulae for the mixed case. These statements specialise to any of the three types of Hurwitz numbers, and to the mixed case of any pair.
This note is concerned with the disproof of the most general case of Parker's conjecture. The conjecture relates a certain group theoretic objects to the field of moduli of a Dessin d'enfant.
Let $G_{n}$ be the dicyclic group of order $4n$. We observe that, up to isomorphisms, (i) for $n \geq 2$ even there is exactly one regular dessin d'enfant with automorphism group $G_{n}$, and (ii) for $n \geq 3$ odd there are exactly two of them. All of them are produced on very well known hyperelliptic Riemann surfaces. We observe, for each of these cases, that the isotypical decomposition, induced by the action of $G_{n}$, of its jacobian variety has only one component. If $n$ is even, then the action is purely-non-free, that is, every element acts with fixed points. In the case $n$ odd, the…
We show the existence of surfaces of degree $d$ in $\dP^3(\dC)$ with approximately ${3j+2\over 6j(j+1)} d^3$ singularities of type $A_j, 2\le j\le d-1$. The result is based on Chmutov's construction of nodal surfaces. For the proof we use plane trees related to the theory of Dessins d'Enfants. Our examples improve the previously known lower bounds for the maximum number $μ_{A_j}(d)$ of $A_j$-singularities on a surface of degree $d$ in most cases. We also give a generalization to higher dimensions which leads to new lower bounds even in the case of nodal hypersurfaces in $\dP^n, n\ge5$. To conc…
There are several ways to associate a complex structure to a ribbon graph. In the construction of dessins d'enfants a single riemann surface is associated to each graph. We call it the Grothendieck model of a ribbon graph. The goal of the present paper is to discuss one more such construction, depending on some parameters - that of Chekhov-Fock. We prove that putting all parametres equal to 0, we obtain the Grothendieck model of this graph.
Dessin d'Enfants on elliptic curves are a powerful way of encoding doubly-periodic brane tilings, and thus, of four-dimensional supersymmetric gauge theories whose vacuum moduli space is toric, providing an interesting interplay between physics, geometry, combinatorics and number theory. We discuss and provide a partial classification of the situation in genera other than one by computing explicit Belyi pairs associated to the gauge theories. Important also is the role of the Igusa and Shioda invariants that generalise the elliptic $j$-invariant.
We study Grothendieck's dessins d'enfants in the context of the $\mathcal{N}=2$ supersymmetric gauge theories in $\left(3+1\right)$ dimensions with product $SU\left(2\right)$ gauge groups which have recently been considered by Gaiotto et al. We identify the precise context in which dessins arise in these theories: they are the so-called ribbon graphs of such theories at certain isolated points in the Coulomb branch of the moduli space. With this point in mind, we highlight connections to other work on trivalent dessins, gauge theories, and the modular group.
A Bely\uı pair is a holomorphic map from a Riemann surface to $S^2$ with additional properties. A dessin d'enfants is a bipartite graph with additional structure. It is well know that there is a bijection between Belyĭ pairs and dessins d'enfants. Vassiliev has defined a filtration on formal sums of isotopy classes of knots. Motivated by this, we define a filtration on formal sums of Bely\uı pairs, and another on dessin d'enfants. We ask if the two definitions give the same filtration.
The classical theory of dessin d'enfants, which are bipartite maps on compact orientable surfaces, are combinatorial objects used to study branched covers between compact Riemann surfaces and the absolute Galois group of the field of rational numbers. In this paper, we show how this theory is naturally extended to non-compact orientable surfaces and, in particular, we observe that the Loch Ness monster (the surface of infinite genus with exactly one end) admits infinitely many regular dessins d'enfants (either chiral or reflexive). In addition, we study different holomorphic structures on the …
We study the absolute Galois group by looking for invariants and orbits of its faithful action on Grothendieck's dessins d'enfants. We define a class of functions called Belyi-extending maps, which we use to construct new Galois invariants of dessins from previously known invariants. Belyi-extending maps are the source of the ``new-type'' relations on the injection of the absolute Galois group into the Grothendieck-Teichmuller group. We make explicit how to get from a general Belyi-extending map to formula for its associated invariant which can be implemented in a computer algebra package. We …
Let $N$ be a positive integer. For any positive integer $L\leq N$ and any positive divisor $r$ of $N$, we enumerate the equivalence classes of dessins d'enfants with $N$ edges, $L$ faces and two vertices whose automorphism groups are cyclic of order $r$. Further, for any non-negative integer $h$, we enumerate the equivalence classes of dessins with $N$ edges, $h$ faces of degree $2$ with $h\leq N$, and two vertices, whose automorphism groups are cyclic of order $r$. Our arguments are essentially based upon a natural one-to-one correspondence of the equivalence classes of all dessins with $N$ e…
We start discussing the group of automorphisms of the field of complex numbers, and describe, in the special case of polynomials with only two critical values, Grothendieck's program of 'Dessins d' enfants', aiming at giving representations of the absolute Galois group. We describe Chebycheff and Belyi polynomials, and other explicit examples. As an illustration, we briefly treat difference and Schur polynomials. Then we concentrate on a higher dimensional analogue of the triangle curves, namely, Beauville surfaces and varieties isogenous to a product. We describe their moduli spaces, and show…
Grothendieck's dessins d'enfants arise with ever-increasing frequency in many areas of 21st century mathematical physics. In this paper, we review the connections between dessins and the theory of Hecke groups. Focussing on the restricted class of highly symmetric dessins corresponding to the so-called Archimedean solids, we apply this theory in order to provide a means of computing representatives of the associated conjugacy classes of Hecke subgroups in each case. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate that dessins arising in mathematical physics can point to new and hitherto unexpected dir…
We state and solve a discrete version of the classical Riemann-Hilbert problem. In particular, we associate a Riemann-Hilbert problem to every dessin d'enfants. We show how to compute the solution for a dessin that is a tree. This amounts to finding a Fuchsian differential equation satisfied by the local inverses of a Shabat polynomial. We produce a universal annihilating operator for the inverses of a generic polynomial. We classify those plane trees that have a representation by Mobius transformations and those that have a linear representation of dimension at most two. This yields an analog…
This paper presents some parallel developments in Quiver/Dimer Models, Hypergeometric Systems and Dessins d'Enfants. The setting in which Gelfand, Kapranov and Zelevinsky have formulated the theory of hypergeometric systems, provides also a natural setting for dimer models. The Fast Inverse Algorithm, the untwisting procedure and the Kasteleyn matrix for dimer models are recasted in this setting. There is a relation between triangulations in GKZ theory and some perfect matchings in the dimer models, so that the secondary polygon coincides with the Newton polygon of the Kasteleyn determinant. F…
We consider the 33 conjugacy classes of genus zero, torsion-free modular subgroups, computing ramification data and Grothendieck's dessins d'enfants. In the particular case of the index 36 subgroups, the corresponding Calabi-Yau threefolds are identified, in analogy with the index 24 cases being associated with K3 surfaces. In a parallel vein, we study the 112 semi-stable elliptic fibrations over P^1 as extremal K3 surfaces with six singular fibres. In each case, a representative of the corresponding class of subgroups is identified by specifying a generating set for that representative.
We apply machine-learning to the study of dessins d'enfants. Specifically, we investigate a class of dessins which reside at the intersection of the investigations of modular subgroups, Seiberg-Witten curves and extremal elliptic K3 surfaces. A deep feed-forward neural network with simple structure and standard activation functions without prior knowledge of the underlying mathematics is established and imposed onto the classification of extension degree over the rationals, known to be a difficult problem. The classifications reached 0.92 accuracy with 0.03 standard error relatively quickly. T…
Hurwitz numbers count genus $g$, degree $d$ covers of the complex projective line with fixed branched locus and fixed ramification data. An equivalent description is given by factorisations in the symmetric group. Simple double Hurwitz numbers are a class of Hurwitz-type counts of specific interest. In recent years a related counting problem in the context of random matrix theory was introduced as so-called monotone Hurwitz numbers. These can be viewed as a desymmetrised version of the Hurwitz-problem. A combinatorial interpolation between simple and monotone double Hurwitz numbers was introdu…
Each elliptic curve can be embedded uniquely in the projective plane, up to projective equivalence. The hessian curve of the embedding is generically a new elliptic curve, whose isomorphism type depends only on that of the initial elliptic curve. One gets like this a rational map from the moduli space of elliptic curves to itself. We call it the hessian dynamical system. We compute it in terms of the $j$-invariant of elliptic curves. We deduce that, seen as a map from a projective line to itself, it has 3 critical values, which correspond to the point at infinity of the moduli space and to the…
The connections amongst (1) quivers whose representation varieties are Calabi-Yau, (2) the combinatorics of bipartite graphs on Riemann surfaces, and (3) the geometry of mirror symmetry have engendered a rich subject at whose heart is the physics of gauge/string theories. We review the various parts of this intricate story in some depth, for a mathematical audience without assumption of any knowledge of physics, emphasizing a plethora of results residing at the intersection between algebraic geometry, representation theory and number theory.
We prove quasi-polynomiality for monotone and strictly monotone orbifold Hurwitz numbers. The second enumerative problem is also known as enumeration of a special kind of Grothendieck's dessins d'enfants or $r$-hypermaps. These statements answer positively two conjectures proposed by Do-Karev and Do-Manescu. We also apply the same method to the usual orbifold Hurwitz numbers and obtain a new proof of the quasi-polynomiality in this case. In the second part of the paper we show that the property of quasi-polynomiality is equivalent in all these three cases to the property that the $n$-point gen…
We study the action of $\operatorname{Gal}(\overline{\mathbb{Q}}/\mathbb{Q})$ on the category of Belyi functions (finite, étale covers of $\mathbb{P}^1_{\overline{\mathbb{Q}}}\setminus \{0,1,\infty\}$). We describe a new combinatorial $\operatorname{Gal}(\overline{\mathbb{Q}}/\mathbb{Q})$-invariant for whose monodromy cycle types above $0$ and $\infty$ are the same. We use a version of our invariant to prove that $\operatorname{Gal}(\overline{\mathbb{Q}}/\mathbb{Q})$ acts faithfully on the set of Belyi functions whose monodromy cycle types above 0 and $\infty$ are the same; the proof of this r…
We study general properties of the dessins d'enfants associated with the Hecke congruence subgroups $Γ_0(N)$ of the modular group $\mathrm{PSL}_2(\mathbb{R})$. The definition of the $Γ_0(N)$ as the stabilisers of couples of projective lattices in a two-dimensional vector space gives an interpretation of the quotient set $Γ_0(N)\backslash\mathrm{PSL}_2(\mathbb{R})$ as the projective lattices $N$-hyperdistant from a reference one, and hence as the projective line over the ring $\mathbb{Z}/N\mathbb{Z}$. The natural action of $\mathrm{PSL}_2(\mathbb{R})$ on the lattices defines a dessin d'enfant s…
We give an example of a regular dessin d'enfant whose field of moduli is not an abelian extension of the rational numbers, namely it is the field generated by a cubic root of 2. This answers a previous question. We also prove that the underlying curve has non-abelian field of moduli itself, giving an explicit example of a quasiplatonic curve with non-abelian field of moduli. In the last section, we note that two examples in previous literature can be used to find other examples of regular dessins d'enfants with non-abelian field of moduli.
A cumbersome hypothesis for Viro patchworking of real algebraic curves is the convexity of the given subdivision. It is an open question in general to know whether the convexity is necessary. In the case of trigonal curves we interpret Viro method in terms of dessins d'enfants. Gluing the dessins d'enfants in a coherent way we prove that no convexity hypothesis is required to patchwork such curves.
We present the matrix models that are the generating functions for branched covers of the complex projective line ramified over $0$, $1$, and $\infty$ (Grotendieck's dessins d'enfants) of fixed genus, degree, and the ramification profile at infinity. For general ramifications at other points, the model is the two-logarithm matrix model with the external field studied previously by one of the authors (L.Ch.) and K.Palamarchuk. It lies in the class of the generalised Kontsevich models (GKM) thus being the Kadomtsev--Petviashvili (KP) hierarchy $τ$-function and, upon the shift of times, this mode…
The Hurwitz problem asks which ramification data are realizable, that is appear as the ramification type of a covering. We use dessins d'enfant to show that families of genus 1 regular ramification data with small changes are realizable with the exception of four families which were recently shown to be nonrealizable. A similar description holds in the case of genus 0 ramification data.
One-vertex maps (a type of dessin d'enfant) give a uniform characterization of certain well-known algebraic curves, including those of Klein, Wiman, Accola-Maclachlan and Kulkarni. The characterization depends on a new classification of one-vertex (dually, one-face or unicellular) maps according to the size of the group of map automorphisms. We use an equivalence relation appropriate for studying the faithful action of the absolute Galois group on dessins, although we do not pursue that line of inquiry here.
We first introduce hyperbolic analogues of Belyi maps, Shabat polynomials and Grothendieck's dessins d'enfant. In particular we introduce and study the Shabat-Blaschke products and the size of their hyperbolic dessin d'enfants in the unit disk. We then study a special class of Shabat-Blaschke products, namely the Chebyshev-Blaschke products. Inspired by the work of Ismail and Zhang (2007) on the coefficients of the Ramanujan's entire function, we will give similar arithmetic properties of the coefficients of the Chebyshev-Blaschke products and then use them to prove some Landen-type identities…
We reinterpret ideas in Klein's paper on transformations of degree $11$ from the modern point of view of dessins d'enfants, and extend his results by considering dessins of type $(3,2,p)$ and degree $p$ or $p+1$, where $p$ is prime. In many cases we determine the passports and monodromy groups of these dessins, and in a few small cases we give drawings which are topologically (or, in certain examples, even geometrically) correct. We use the Bateman-Horn Conjecture and extensive computer searches to support a conjecture that there are infinitely many primes of the form $p=(q^n-1)/(q-1)$ for som…
Branched covers of the complex projective line ramified over $0,1$ and $\infty$ (Grothendieck's {\em dessins d'enfant}) of fixed genus and degree are effectively enumerated. More precisely, branched covers of a given ramification profile over $\infty$ and given numbers of preimages of $0$ and $1$ are considered. The generating function for the numbers of such covers is shown to satisfy a PDE that determines it uniquely modulo a simple initial condition. Moreover, this generating function satisfies an infinite system of PDE's called the KP (Kadomtsev-Petviashvili) hierarchy. A specification of …
We prove that the number of real intersection points of a real line with a real plane curve defined by a polynomial with at most t monomials is either infinite or does not exceed 6t -7. This improves a result by M. Avendano. Furthermore, we prove that this bound is sharp for t = 3 with the help of Grothendieck's dessins d'enfant.
In this paper, in the context of the ``Dessins d'enfants'' theory, we give a combinatorial criterion for a plane tree to cover a tree from the classes of "chains" or "stars''. Besides, we discuss some applications of this result which are related to the arithmetical theory of torsion on curves.
A polynomial system with $n$ equations in $n$ variables supported on a set $\mathcal{W}\subset\mathbb{R}^n$ of $n+2$ points has at most $n+1$ non-degenerate positive solutions. Moreover, if this bound is reached, then $\mathcal{W}$ is minimally affinely dependent, in other words, it is a circuit in $\mathbb{R}^n$. For any positive integer number $n$, we determine all circuits $\mathcal{W}\subset\mathbb{R}^n$ which can support a polynomial system with $n+1$ non-degenerate positive solutions. Restrictions on such circuits $\mathcal{W}$ are obtained using Grothendieck's real dessins d'enfant, whi…
In this paper, we study the algebraic form of the symmetric generalized Lamé equations which have finite projective monodromy groups. In particular, we consider equations with $3$ regular singular points on a flat torus $T$ which takes the form \begin{equation*} \begin{split} \frac{d^2 y}{dz^2}-\left[n_1(n_1+1)(\wp(z+a) +\wp(z-a))\right.\left. +A_1(ζ(z+a) - ζ(z-a))+n_0(n_0+1) \wp(z)+B\right]y=0, \end{split} \end{equation*} where $n_1, n_0 \in \Bbb R$, $A_1,B \in \Bbb C$, and $\wp$ is the Weierstrass elliptic function. We give a complete list of all the group types that occur as the finite proj…
The object of this paper is the study of a class of dessins d'enfants, the so-called diameter four trees. These objects, first introduced by G. Shabat, can be considered as the simplest non trivial example of etale covers of the projective line minus three points. Their arithmetic properties are still mysterious, and their study can inspire the understanding of more general situations. Here, the main interest is devoted to the action of the absolute Galois group on these (isomorphism classes of) coverings. In particular, in many cases, we are able to distinguish Galois orbits and to describe t…
Four-dimensional CFTs dual to branes transverse to toric Calabi-Yau threefolds have been described by bipartite graphs on a torus (dimer models). We use the theory of dessins d'enfants to describe these in terms of triples of permutations which multiply to one. These permutations yield an elegant description of zig-zag paths, which have appeared in characterizing the toroidal dimers that lead to consistent SCFTs. The dessins are also related to Belyi pairs, consisting of a curve equipped with a map to P^1, branched over three points on the P^1. We construct explicit examples of Belyi pairs ass…
