A general bridge theorem for self-avoiding walks

Abstract

Let X be an infinite, locally finite, connected, quasi-transitive graph without loops or multiple edges. A graph height function on X is a map adapted to the graph structure, assigning to every vertex an integer, called height. Bridges are self-avoiding walks such that heights of interior vertices are bounded by the heights of the start- and end-vertex. The number of self-avoiding walks and the number of bridges of length n starting at a vertex o of X grow exponentially in n and the bases of these growth rates are called connective constant and bridge constant, respectively. We show that for any graph height function h the connective constant of the graph is equal to the maximum of the two bridge constants given by increasing and decreasing bridges with respect to h. As a concrete example, we apply this result to calculate the connective constant of the Grandparent graph.