Contents Online
Current Developments in Mathematics
Volume 2012
Duality, statistical mechanics and random matrices
Pages: 229 – 260
DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.4310/CDM.2012.v2012.n1.a5
Author
Abstract
This article will present an informal review of some results and conjectures about the spectral theory of large random matrices and related spin systems in statistical mechanics. A class of lattice spin models provides a dual representation for spectral problems in random matrix theory. Ordered and disordered phases of the spins correspond to different spectral types and quantum time evolutions. In three dimensions, we describe a phase transition for a supersymmetric statistical mechanics system inspired by random matrix theory. This transition has a classical interpretation in terms of a history dependent walk on the lattice. In the ordered phase the walk is diffusive while in the disordered phase it is localized near its starting point.
Published 28 October 2013