Self-avoiding walks (Q1323033)

Self-avoiding walks are discrete paths without self-intersections, and play an important role in polymer science and statistical mechanics. This introductory review paper discusses the basic properties of self-avoiding walks on the integer lattice \(\mathbb{Z}^ d\), with emphasis on the asymptotic behaviour of the number of \(n\)-step self-avoiding walks and of the mean-square displacement. The critical exponents governing this asymptotic behaviour are described. Monte Carlo methods for analyzing self-avoiding walks are discussed. Lattice trees, lattice animals and percolation are briefly mentioned.