Conformal loop ensembles and the Gaussian free field

Abstract

The study of two-dimensional statistical physics models leads naturally to the analysis of various conformally invariant mathematical objects, such as the Gaussian free field, the Schramm-Loewner evolution, and the conformal loop ensemble. Just as Brownian motion is a scaling limit of discrete random walks, these objects serve as universal scaling limits of functions or paths associated with the underlying discrete models. We establish a new convergence result for percolation, a well-studied discrete model. We also study random sets of points surrounded by exceptional numbers of conformal loop ensemble loops and establish the existence of a random generalized function describing the nesting of the conformal loop ensemble. Using this framework, we study the relationship between Gaussian free field extrema and nesting extrema of the ensemble of Gaussian free field level loops. Finally, we describe a coupling between the set of all Gaussian free field level loops and a conformal loop ensemble growth process introduced by Werner and Wu. We prove that the dynamics are determined by the conformal loop ensemble in this coupling, and we use this result to construct a conformally invariant metric space.