From Trees to Galaxies: The Potts Model on a Random Surface

Abstract

The matrix model of random surfaces with c = inf. has recently been solved and found to be identical to a random surface coupled to a q-states Potts model with q = inf. The mean field-like solution exhibits a novel type of tree structure. The natural question is, down to which--if any--finite values of c and q does this behavior persist? In this work we develop, for the Potts model, an expansion in the fluctuations about the q = inf. mean field solution. In the lowest--cubic--non-trivial order in this expansion the corrections to mean field theory can be given a nice interpretation in terms of structures (trees and ``galaxies'') of spin clusters. When q drops below a finite q_c, the galaxies overwhelm the trees at all temperatures, thus suppressing mean field behavior. Thereafter the phase diagram resembles that of the Ising model, q=2.