Schur Averages in Random Matrix Ensembles

Abstract

The main focus of this PhD thesis is the study of minors of Toeplitz, Hankel and Toeplitz±Hankel matrices. These can be expressed as matrix models over the classical Lie groups G(N) = U(N); Sp(2N);O(2N);O(2N + 1), with the insertion of irreducible characters associated to each of the groups. In order to approach this topic, we consider matrices generated by formal power series in terms of symmetric functions. We exploit these connections to obtain several relations between the models over the different groups G(N), and to investigate some of their structural properties. We compute explicitly several objects of interest, including a variety of matrix models, evaluations of certain skew Schur polynomials, partition functions and Wilson loops of G(N) Chern-Simons theory on S3, and fermion quantum models with matrix degrees of freedom. We also explore the connection with orthogonal polynomials, and study the large N behaviour of the average of a characteristic polynomial in the Laguerre Unitary Ensemble by means of the associated Riemann-Hilbert problem. We gratefully acknowledge the support of the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia through its LisMath scholarship PD/BD/113627/2015, which made this work possible.