Combinatorics of the Modular Group II: the Kontsevich integrals

Abstract

We study algebraic aspects of Kontsevich integrals as generating functions for intersection theory over moduli space and review the derivation of Virasoro and KdV constraints. 1. Intersection numbers 2. The Kontsevich integral 2.1. The main theorem 2.2 Expansion of Z on characters and Schur functions 2.3 Proof of the first part of the Theorem 3. From Grassmannians to KdV 4. Matrix Airy equation and Virasoro highest weight conditions 5. Genus expansion 6. Singular behaviour and Painlev'e equation. 7. Generalization to higher degree potentials