On the probability that self-avoiding walk ends at a given point

Geometric probability and stochastic geometry (60D05) Sums of independent random variables; random walks (60G50) Interacting random processes; statistical mechanics type models; percolation theory (60K35)

Abstract: We prove two results on the delocalization of the endpoint of a uniform self-avoiding walk on Z^d for d>1. We show that the probability that a walk of length n ends at a point x tends to 0 as n tends to infinity, uniformly in x. Also, for any fixed x in Z^d, this probability decreases faster than n^{-1/4 + epsilon} for any epsilon >0. When |x|= 1, we thus obtain a bound on the probability that self-avoiding walk is a polygon.

Review text

This paper considers the uniform distribution of self-avoiding walks in \(\mathbb{Z}^d\) of length \(n\) and looks at the decay probability that the walk ends at a given point. Two important theorems are proved for \(d \geq 2\). The first is that the probability that the end point of the walk lies at distance one from the origin is bounded above by \(n^{-1/4}\) for large \(n\). The second is that the probability that the walk ends at a fixed \(x \in \mathbb{Z}^d\) tends to zero as \(n \to \infty\). The inequality in the first theorem is not believed to be sharp.NEWLINENEWLINESince the self-avoiding walk is a hard combinatorial object, even seemingly obvious statements such as the ones above do not seem to have an easy proof. An important ingredient in the proofs are two ideas: a pattern theorem due to \textit{H. Kesten} [J. Math. Phys. 4, 960--969 (1963; Zbl 0122.36502)], and an unfolding argument due to \textit{J. M. Hammersley} and \textit{D. J. A. Welsh} [Q. J. Math., Oxf. II. Ser. 13, 108--110 (1962; Zbl 0123.00304)].

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