Central limit theorem for first-passage percolation time across thin cylinders

Abstract

We prove that first-passage percolation times across thin cylinders of the form [0, n] × [−hn, hn]d-1 obey Gaussian central limit theorems as long as hn grows slower than n1/(d+1). It is an open question as to what is the fastest that hn can grow so that a Gaussian CLT still holds. Under the natural but unproven assumption about existence of fluctuation and transversal exponents, and strict convexity of the limiting shape in the direction of (1, 0, . . . , 0), we prove that in dimensions 2 and 3 the CLT holds all the way up to the height of the unrestricted geodesic. We also provide some numerical evidence in support of the conjecture in dimension 2.