Higher Dimer Covers on Snake Graphs

Fuente: arXiv
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Hauptverfasser: Musiker, Gregg, Ovenhouse, Nicholas, Schiffler, Ralf, Zhang, Sylvester W.
Format: Preprint
Veröffentlicht: 2023
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_version_ 1866914106658783232
author Musiker, Gregg
Ovenhouse, Nicholas
Schiffler, Ralf
Zhang, Sylvester W.
author_facet Musiker, Gregg
Ovenhouse, Nicholas
Schiffler, Ralf
Zhang, Sylvester W.
contents Snake graphs are a class of planar graphs that are important in the theory of cluster algebras. Indeed, the Laurent expansions of the cluster variables in cluster algebras from surfaces are given as weight generating functions for 1-dimer covers (or perfect matchings) of snake graphs. Moreover, the enumeration of 1-dimer covers of snake graphs provides a combinatorial interpretation of continued fractions. In particular, the number of 1-dimer covers of the snake graph $\mathscr{G}[a_1,\dots,a_n]$ is the numerator of the continued fraction $[a_1,\dots,a_n]$. This number is equal to the top left entry of the matrix product $\left(\begin{smallmatrix} a_1&1\\1&0 \end{smallmatrix}\right) \cdots \left(\begin{smallmatrix} a_n&1\\1&0 \end{smallmatrix}\right)$. In this paper, we give enumerative results on $m$-dimer covers of snake graphs. We show that the number of $m$-dimer covers of the snake graph $\mathscr{G}[a_1,\ldots,a_n]$ is the top left entry of a product of analogous $(m+1)$-by-$(m+1)$ matrices. We discuss how our enumerative results are related to other known combinatorial formulas, and we suggest a generalization of continued fractions based on our methods. These generalized continued fractions provide some interesting open questions and a possibly novel approach towards Hermite's problem for cubic irrationals.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2306_14389
institution arXiv
publishDate 2023
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Higher Dimer Covers on Snake Graphs
Musiker, Gregg
Ovenhouse, Nicholas
Schiffler, Ralf
Zhang, Sylvester W.
Combinatorics
Number Theory
11A55 05A15 05F99
Snake graphs are a class of planar graphs that are important in the theory of cluster algebras. Indeed, the Laurent expansions of the cluster variables in cluster algebras from surfaces are given as weight generating functions for 1-dimer covers (or perfect matchings) of snake graphs. Moreover, the enumeration of 1-dimer covers of snake graphs provides a combinatorial interpretation of continued fractions. In particular, the number of 1-dimer covers of the snake graph $\mathscr{G}[a_1,\dots,a_n]$ is the numerator of the continued fraction $[a_1,\dots,a_n]$. This number is equal to the top left entry of the matrix product $\left(\begin{smallmatrix} a_1&1\\1&0 \end{smallmatrix}\right) \cdots \left(\begin{smallmatrix} a_n&1\\1&0 \end{smallmatrix}\right)$. In this paper, we give enumerative results on $m$-dimer covers of snake graphs. We show that the number of $m$-dimer covers of the snake graph $\mathscr{G}[a_1,\ldots,a_n]$ is the top left entry of a product of analogous $(m+1)$-by-$(m+1)$ matrices. We discuss how our enumerative results are related to other known combinatorial formulas, and we suggest a generalization of continued fractions based on our methods. These generalized continued fractions provide some interesting open questions and a possibly novel approach towards Hermite's problem for cubic irrationals.
title Higher Dimer Covers on Snake Graphs
topic Combinatorics
Number Theory
11A55 05A15 05F99
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2306.14389