The Arctic curve for Aztec rectangles with defects via the tangent method (Q2274476)

An Aztec rectangle of size \((n+1)\times (m+1)\) (with \(m\ge n\)) with defects along its lower boundary is a domain drawn on the tilted by \(45^\circ\) square lattice with zig-zag shaped boundary whose defects are introduced by adding to the lower boundary of the regular \(n\times m\) Aztec rectangle a number \(n-m\) of elementary squares. In the paper under review, the authors consider tilings of this domain with \(2\times 1\) rectangular dominos tilted by \(45^\circ\). An arctic curve phenomenon is the existence of a sharply defined separation between frozen phases with regular lattice-like tiling configurations and liquid phases with disorder. The authors apply the tangent method proposed by \textit{F. Colomo} and \textit{A. Sportiello} [J. Stat. Phys. 164, No. 6, 1488--1523 (2016; Zbl 1354.82006)] to the study of asymptotics of domino tilings of large Aztec rectangles, with some fixed distribution of defects along a boundary. The method is based on the reformulation of tiling problems in terms of non-intersecting lattice paths, and here these paths are weighted with two parametrs. The paper extends previous results about the arctic curve phenomenon in NILP configurations with arbitrary starting points to a wider class of models involving weighted Schröder lattice paths. The arctic curve is predicted for an arbitrary distribution of defects. Also the results are illustrated with a number of examples involving different classes of boundary defects.