On the Bogomolny–Schmit conjecture

Abstract

Bogomolny and Schmit proposed that the critical edge percolation on the square lattice is a good model for the nodal domains of a random plane wave. Based on this they made a conjecture about the number of nodal domains. Recent computer experiments showed that the mean number of clusters per vertex and the mean number of nodal domains per unit area are very close but different. Since the original argument was mostly supported by numerics, it was believed that the percolation model is wrong. In this paper we give some numerical evidence in favour of the percolation model.