Loop-Erased Random Surfaces

TL;DR

This paper introduces a 2D analogue of loop-erased random walk called loop-erased random surface, explores its properties, and provides numerical evidence suggesting a specific growth rate and potential fractal limit.

Contribution

It defines a 2D spanning tree framework for LERS and hypothesizes an exact growth rate, proposing a new surface model related to SLE.

Findings

Numerical growth rate for LERS is approximately 2.5269.

Hypothesized exact growth rate is 48/19.

Potential for a fractal limiting object similar to SLE.

Abstract

Loop-erased random walk and it's scaling limit, Schramm--Loewner evolution, have found numerous applications in mathematics and physics. We present a 2 dimensional analogue of LERW, the loop erased random surface. We do this by defining a 2 dimensional spanning tree and declaring that LERS should have the same relation to these 2 trees as LERW has to ordinary spanning trees. Furthermore we present numerical evidence that the growth rate for LERS on a $\delta$ fine grid as $\delta \to 0$ is $2.5269 \pm 0.0017$ and we hypothesize that it has an exact value of 48/19. This suggests the possibility of a fractal limiting object for LERS analogous to SLE for LERW.