SciPost Submission Page
New Instantons for Matrix Models
by Marcos Mariño, Ricardo Schiappa, Maximilian Schwick
Submission summary
| Authors (as registered SciPost users): | Maximilian Schwick |
| Submission information | |
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| Preprint Link: | https://arxiv.org/abs/2210.13479v2 (pdf) |
| Date submitted: | Jan. 14, 2026, 10:41 p.m. |
| Submitted by: | Maximilian Schwick |
| Submitted to: | SciPost Physics |
| Ontological classification | |
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| Academic field: | Physics |
| Specialties: |
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| Approach: | Theoretical |
Abstract
The complete, nonperturbative content of random matrix models is described by resurgent-transseries -- general solutions to their corresponding string-equations. These transseries include exponentially-suppressed multi-instanton amplitudes obtained by eigenvalue tunneling, but they also contain exponentially-enhanced and mixed instanton-like sectors with no known matrix model interpretation. This work shows how these sectors can be also described by eigenvalue tunneling in matrix models -- but on the non-physical sheet of the spectral curve describing their large-N limit. This picture further explains the full resurgence of random matrices via analysis of all possible eigenvalue integration-contours. How to calculate these "anti" eigenvalue-tunneling amplitudes is explained in detail and in various examples, such as the cubic and quartic matrix models, and their double-scaling limit to Painleve I. This further provides direct matrix-model derivations of their resurgent Stokes data, which were recently obtained by different techniques.
Author indications on fulfilling journal expectations
- Provide a novel and synergetic link between different research areas.
- Open a new pathway in an existing or a new research direction, with clear potential for multi-pronged follow-up work
- Detail a groundbreaking theoretical/experimental/computational discovery
- Present a breakthrough on a previously-identified and long-standing research stumbling block