On Equivalence of Topological and Quantum 2d Gravity

Abstract

We demonstrate the equivalence of Virasoro constraints imposed on continuum limit of partition function of Hermitean 1-matrix model and the Ward identities of Kontsevich's model. Since the first model describes ordinary $d = 2$ quantum gravity, while the second one is supposed to coincide with Witten's topological gravity, the result provides a strong implication that the two models are indeed the same.