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arXiv · hep-th/0309208

Quantum Calabi-Yau and Classical Crystals

Andrei Okounkov·Nikolai Reshetikhin·Cumrun Vafa
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Abstract

We propose a new duality involving topological strings in the limit of large string coupling constant. The dual is described in terms of a classical statistical mechanical model of crystal melting, where the temperature is inverse of the string coupling constant. The crystal is a discretization of the toric base of the Calabi-Yau with lattice length $g_s$. As a strong evidence for this duality we recover the topological vertex in terms of the statistical mechanical probability distribution for crystal melting. We also propose a more general duality involving the dimer problem on periodic lattices and topological A-model string on arbitrary local toric threefolds. The $(p,q)$ 5-brane web, dual to Calabi-Yau, gets identified with the transition regions of rigid dimer configurations.

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Andrei Okounkov, Nikolai Reshetikhin, Cumrun Vafa. 2003-11-11. Quantum Calabi-Yau and Classical Crystals. https://arxiv.org/abs/hep-th/0309208

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