Replica Bethe ansatz derivation of the GOE Tracy-Widom distribution in one-dimensional directed polymers with free boundary conditions

Abstract

The distribution function of the free energy fluctuations in one-dimensional directed polymers with free boundary conditions is derived by mapping the replicated problem to the N-particle quantum boson system with attractive interactions. It is shown that in the thermodynamic limit this function is described by the universal Tracy-Widom distribution of the Gaussian orthogonal ensemble.