Seminar 11 Nov. - Stat.Phys.

[Cond.Matt. & Stat.Mech.Section]

  INFORMAL SEMINAR on
Statistical Physics


Seminar Room - ICTP Leonardo Building   (first floor)



Wednesday, 11 November -     4:00 p.m.



Gregory SCHEHR    ( Universite' de Paris-Sud, Orsay )



"From vicious walkers to random matrix theory:   A path-integral  
approach"



  Abstract



Vicious, i.e. non-intersecting, random walkers have been studied in  
various physical situations, ranging from wetting and melting to  
stochastic growth processes.  In this talk, I will present a method  
based on path integrals associated to free Fermions models to study  
such statistical models.  In particular I will show how this allows  
for a physical derivation of the connection between certain  
constrained vicious walkers and random matrix theory.  Besides I will  
use this method to calculate exactly the distribution of the maximal  
height of p vicious walkers with and without a wall.