Low-temperature random matrix theory at the soft edge

Abstract

“Low temperature” random matrix theory is the study of random eigenvalues as energy is removed. In standard notation, β is identified with inverse temperature, and low temperatures are achieved through the limit β → ∞. In this paper, we derive statistics for low-temperature random matrices at the “soft edge,” which describes the extreme eigenvalues for many random matrix distributions. Specifically, new asymptotics are found for the expected value and standard deviation of the general-β Tracy-Widom distribution. The new techniques utilize beta ensembles, stochastic differential operators, and Riccati diffusions. The asymptotics fit known high-temperature statistics curiously well and contribute to the larger program of general-β random matrix theory.