Signed counts of real simple rational functions (Q2021404)

To find \textit{Hurwitz numbers} is to enumerate all ramified coverings of a genus \( h \) surface by a genus \( g \) surface with fixed ramification profiles over fixed branch points. These problems admit real analogs. For instance, the problem to count degree \( d \) ramified coverings of the sphere by the sphere with \( 2d-2 \) simple branch points, all real, was solved by \textit{B. Shapiro} and \textit{A. Vainshtein} [Mosc. Math. J. 3, No. 2, 647--659 (2003; Zbl 1039.58035)]. \textit{A. Cadoret}'s approach for counting real Hurwitz numbers (with \( h = 0 \)) uses the representation theory of the symmetric groups [Pac. J. Math. 219, No. 1, 53--81 (2005; Zbl 1098.12002)]. Another approach is based on a tropical correspondence theorem [\textit{H. Markwig} and \textit{J. Rau}, Math. Z. 281, No. 1-2, 501--522 (2015; Zbl 1401.14238)]. In the polynomial case \textit{I. Itenberg} and \textit{D. Zvonkine} [Comment. Math. Helv. 93, No. 3, 441--474 (2018; Zbl 1410.14043)] proved that, provided the polynomials are counted with appropriate signs, their number does not depend on the order of the branch points on the real line. Using the same approach the authors of the reviewed paper move further in this direction and solve the problem of signed counting real simple rational functions. The authors are interested in the number of functions \( \varphi: \mathbb{C}P^1\rightarrow\mathbb{C}P^1 \) that, in an affine coordinate system, have the form \( \varphi(z)=\psi(z)/z \) where \( \psi\in\mathbb{R}[z] \), \(\deg\psi=d\), \( \psi(0)\neq0 \), and the leading coefficient of \( \psi \) is \( 1 \). They prove that, provided such functions have prescribed ramification profiles at given real critical values and are counted with appropriate signs, their number does not depend on the order of the critical values on the real line. They also prove (non-)vanishing theorems for these signed counts and study the logarithmic growth of the absolute values of these invariants when adding further simple critical values. It follows that the obtained asymptotics coincides with that of the corresponding Hurwitz number, i.e., the number of complex functions matching the same ramification data. The proof of the invariance statement as well as the asymptotics computations are based on a reduction of the functions enumeration to the enumeration of specific planar graphs.