$q$-Deformed Topological Recursion: Quantum Curves and Non-perturbative Analysis

Abstract

This work investigates the $q$-deformation of $(r,s)$-Airy structures and their realization via $q$-difference operators, providing a bridge between quantum spectral curves and integrable systems. We construct an all-order $q$-WKB solution for the matrix systems associated with the $q$-quantized curve $E_q(x,y)=0$. We demonstrate that the resulting non-perturbative connected $q$-amplitudes satisfy a set of shifted $q$-loop equations, which can be interpreted as the Ward identities of a $q$-deformed $\mathcal{W}(\mathfrak{gl}_r)$ algebra. Our main result provides a rigorous classification of admissible $(r,s,q)$ pairs and $q$-Casimir configurations that satisfy the $q$-topological type property. This ensures that the semi-classical expansion is uniquely governed by the $q$-topological recursion, offering new insights into the $q$-quantization of mirror curves and their underlying algebraic structures.