Random planar lattices and integrated superBrownian excursion (Q1424400)

This article uncovers a connection between two general models -- random planar maps and Brownian snakes. A random quadrangulation is a finite random planar map (planar embedding of a graph) with only \(4\)-regular faces. Integrated super-Brownian excursion (ISE) is introduced by Aldous as a model of random distribution of masses based on suitably defined random embeddings of trees in the scaled \(d\)-dimensional square lattice. A relation between, on one hand, random quadrangulations, and, on the other hand, Aldous' ISE is thoroughly analysed. It turns out that, upon proper scaling, the profile of a random quadrangulation is described in the limit by ISE translated to have support \((0, R-L)\). This implies that the radius \(r_n\) of random quadrangulations weakly converges to the width of the support of ISE in one dimension. It is proved that \(n^{-1/4} r_n@>\text{law}>> (8/9)^{1/4} r. \) This proves the conjecture \({\mathbb E}(r_n) \sim cn^{1/4}\).