Combinatorial expressions of the solutions to initial value problems of the discrete and ultradiscrete Toda molecules

Abstract

Combinatorial expressions are presented of the solutions to initial value problems of the discrete and ultradiscrete Toda molecules. For the discrete Toda molecule, a subtraction-free expression of the solution is derived in terms of non-intersecting paths, for which two results in combinatorics, Flajolet’s interpretation of continued fractions and Gessel–Viennot’s lemma on determinants, are applied. By ultradiscretizing the subtraction-free expression, the solution to the ultradiscrete Toda molecule is obtained. It is finally shown that the initial value problem of the ultradiscrete Toda molecule is exactly solved in terms of shortest paths on a specific graph. The behavior of the solution is also investigated in comparison with the box–ball system.