Intersection numbers on $\overline {\mathcal M}_{g,n}$ and BKP hierarchy

Abstract

In their recent inspiring paper Mironov and Morozov claim a surprisingly simple expansion formula for the Kontsevich-Witten tau-function in terms of the Schur Q-functions. Here we provide a similar conjecture for the Br\'ezin-Gross-Witten tau-function. Moreover, we identify both tau-functions of the KdV hierarchy, which describe intersection numbers on the moduli spaces of punctured Riemann surfaces, with the hypergeometric solutions of the BKP hierarchy.