Signed counts of real simple rational functions

DOI10.1007/S10801-019-00906-6MaRDI QIDQ2021404zbMATH OpenOpenAlexWikidataFDO

Authors Boulos El Hilany, Johannes Rau

Publication date 27 April 2021

Published in Journal of Algebraic Combinatorics (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/1712.05639

zbMATH Keywords

dessins d'enfantsreal enumerative problemsreal Hurwitz numbersreal simple rational functionssigned counts

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Exact enumeration problems, generating functions (05A15) Enumeration in graph theory (05C30) Coverings of curves, fundamental group (14H30) Dessins d'enfants theory (14H57) Enumerative problems (combinatorial problems) in algebraic geometry (14N10) Real algebraic sets (14P05)

Abstract: We study the problem of counting real simple rational functions $varphi$ with prescribed ramification data (i.e. a particular class of oriented real Hurwitz numbers of genus $0$). We introduce a signed count of such functions that is invariant under change of the branch locus, thus providing a lower bound for the actual count (which does depend on such change). We prove (non-)vanishing theorems for these signed counts and study their asymptotic growth when adding further simple branch points. The approach is based on the works of Itenberg and Zvonkine (arXiv:1609.05219) which treat the polynomial case.

Review text

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.

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Cites work

• A survey of alternating permutations
• Hurwitz numbers for real polynomials
• Invariants of real symplectic 4-manifolds and lower bounds in real enumerative geometry
• Logarithmic equivalence of Welschinger and Gromov-Witten invariants
• Lower bounds and asymptotics of real double Hurwitz numbers
• Noncommutative two-dimensional topological field theories and Hurwitz numbers for real algebraic curves
• On the space of real polynomials without multiple critical values
• Real orientations, real Gromov-Witten theory, and real enumerative geometry
• The Combinatorics of Real Double Hurwitz Numbers with Real Positive Branch Points
• TOPOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION OF GENERIC REAL RATIONAL FUNCTIONS
• Tropical real Hurwitz numbers

Cited in

(9)

• Hurwitz numbers for real polynomials
• Lower bounds and asymptotics of real double Hurwitz numbers
• Enumeration of almost polynomial rational functions with given critical values
• On the lower bounds for real double Hurwitz numbers
• Branched coverings of riemann surfaces whose branch orders coincide with the multiplicity
• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 2020260 (Why is no real title available?)
• On framed simple purely real Hurwitz numbers
• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 5202839 (Why is no real title available?)
• Asymptotics for real monotone double Hurwitz numbers

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