Transfer Matrices and Partition-Function Zeros for Antiferromagnetic Potts Models

Abstract

We derive some new structural results for the transfer matrix of square-lattice Potts models with free and cylindrical boundary conditions. In particular, we obtain explicit closed-form expressions for the dominant (at large |q|) diagonal entry in the transfer matrix, for arbitrary widths m, as the solution of a special one-dimensional polymer model. We also obtain the large-q expansion of the bulk and surface (resp. corner) free energies for the zero-temperature antiferromagnet (= chromatic polynomial) through order q −47 (resp. q −46). Finally, we compute chromatic roots for strips of widths 9≤m≤12 with free boundary conditions and locate roughly the limiting curves.