A matrix model for simple Hurwitz numbers, and topological recursion (Q629388)

The authors introduce a new matrix model formula for the generating function of simple Hurwitz numbers \[ Z \propto \int_{\mathcal{H}_{N}(\mathcal{C})}dM \exp(-\frac{1}{g_{s}}\text{Tr}(V(M)-M \mathbf{R})) \] where \(V(x)\) is the potential, \(g_{s}\) are some parameters and \(\mathbf R\) is a matrix. \(\mathcal{H}_{N}(\mathcal{C})\) is the set of normal matrices with eigenvalues on some contour \(\mathcal{C}\). As an application, the authors obtain a proof of Bouchard-Mariño conjecture relating Hurwitz numbers to the spectral invariants of the Lambert curve \(e^{x}=ye^{-y}\).