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Lecture

Self-Avoiding Random Walks

In course

PHYS-435: Statistical physics III

This course introduces statistical field theory, and uses concepts related to phase transitions to discuss a variety of complex systems (random walks and polymers, disordered systems, combinatorial optimisation, information theory and error correcting cod ...

Description

This lecture covers the concept of self-avoiding random walks (SAW) and their mathematical models, discussing the avoidance of repeated steps and the development of closed polygons. The instructor explains the correlation function and the moments of SAW, emphasizing the importance of paths that are self-avoiding. The lecture concludes by exploring the vanishing of terms in the context of SAW and the significance of closed polygons in this mathematical model.

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Related concepts (32)

Polygon

In geometry, a polygon (ˈpɒlɪɡɒn) is a plane figure made up of line segments connected to form a closed polygonal chain. The segments of a closed polygonal chain are called its edges or sides. The points where two edges meet are the polygon's vertices or corners. An n-gon is a polygon with n sides; for example, a triangle is a 3-gon. A simple polygon is one which does not intersect itself. More precisely, the only allowed intersections among the line segments that make up the polygon are the shared endpoints of consecutive segments in the polygonal chain.

Convex polygon

In geometry, a convex polygon is a polygon that is the boundary of a convex set. This means that the line segment between two points of the polygon is contained in the union of the interior and the boundary of the polygon. In particular, it is a simple polygon (not self-intersecting). Equivalently, a polygon is convex if every line that does not contain any edge intersects the polygon in at most two points. A strictly convex polygon is a convex polygon such that no line contains two of its edges.

Regular polygon

In Euclidean geometry, a regular polygon is a polygon that is direct equiangular (all angles are equal in measure) and equilateral (all sides have the same length). Regular polygons may be either convex, star or skew. In the limit, a sequence of regular polygons with an increasing number of sides approximates a circle, if the perimeter or area is fixed, or a regular apeirogon (effectively a straight line), if the edge length is fixed. These properties apply to all regular polygons, whether convex or star.

Simple polygon

In geometry, a simple polygon is a polygon that does not intersect itself and has no holes. That is, they are piecewise-linear Jordan curves consisting of finitely many line segments. They include as special cases the convex polygons, star-shaped polygons, and monotone polygons. The sum of external angles of a simple polygon is . Every simple polygon with sides can be triangulated by of its diagonals, and by the art gallery theorem its interior is visible from some of its vertices.

Mathematical model

A mathematical model is an abstract description of a concrete system using mathematical concepts and language. The process of developing a mathematical model is termed mathematical modeling. Mathematical models are used in applied mathematics and in the natural sciences (such as physics, biology, earth science, chemistry) and engineering disciplines (such as computer science, electrical engineering), as well as in non-physical systems such as the social sciences (such as economics, psychology, sociology, political science).

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