The zeros of the partition function of the pinning model (Q2156275)

The authors are interested in complex values of the potential when the pinning partition function vanishes. The pinning model is a Gibbs measure based on discrete renewal processes with power-law inter-arrival distributions. Namely, let \(\tau = (\tau_ j)_{j=0,1,2,\dots}\) be a discrete recurrent renewal process with \(\tau_0 = 0\). Here \((\tau_{ j+1}- \tau_j)_{j=0,1,2,\dots}\) is a sequence of IID random variables taking values in \(\mathbb N := \{1, 2,\dots\}\). Define the partition function as \[ Z_{N,h} :=\mathbf{E}\left[\exp\left(h\sum_{n=1}^N \mathbf{1}_{n\in \tau}\right) \mathbf{1}_{N\in \tau}\right], \] where \(\tau = \{\tau_0, \tau_1,\dots\}\) is assumed as a random subset of \(\mathbb N \cup \{0\}\), and \(h\in \mathbb C\). In the paper some results for general inter-arrival laws are proved, but more details are discussed for a specific one-parameter family of inter-arrivals. In such a specific family, it is shown that the zeros asymptotically lie on a closed curve. These zeros touch the real axis only in one point, which is the critical point of the model. Moreover, a sharper analysis of the zeros close to the critical point is given. This is used to approach a complex problem of Griffiths singularities for the disordered pinning model. These investigations are related to limit theorems for heavy tail random variables, potential theory and singularity analysis of generating functions.