Correlation inequalities and monotonicity properties of the Ruelle operator

In this paper, we provide sufficient conditions for the validity of the FKG Inequality, on Thermodynamic Formalism setting, for a class of eigenmeasures of the dual of the Ruelle operator. We use this correlation inequality to study the maximal eigenvalue problem for the Ruelle operator associated to low regular potentials. As an application, we obtain explicit upper bounds for the main eigenvalue (consequently, for the pressure) of the Ruelle operator associated to Ising models with a power law decay interaction energy.

Sidorenko's Conjecture, Colorings and Independent Sets

Let $\hom(H,G)$ denote the number of homomorphisms from a graph $H$ to a graph $G$. Sidorenko's conjecture asserts that for any bipartite graph $H$, and a graph $G$ we have$$\hom(H,G)\geq v(G)^{v(H)}\left(\frac{\hom(K_2,G)}{v(G)^2}\right)^{e(H)},$$where $v(H),v(G)$ and $e(H),e(G)$ denote the number of vertices and edges of the graph $H$ and $G$, respectively. In this paper we prove Sidorenko's conjecture for certain special graphs $G$: for the complete graph $K_q$ on $q$ vertices, for a $K_2$ with a loop added at one of the end vertices, and for a path on $3$ vertices with a loop added at each vertex. These cases correspond to counting colorings, independent sets and Widom-Rowlinson colorings of a graph $H$. For instance, for a bipartite graph $H$ the number of $q$-colorings $\mathrm{ch}(H,q)$ satisfies$$\mathrm{ch}(H,q)\geq q^{v(H)}\left(\frac{q-1}{q}\right)^{e(H)}.$$In fact, we will prove that in the last two cases (independent sets and Widom-Rowlinson colorings) the graph $H$ does not need to be bipartite. In all cases, we first prove a certain correlation inequality which implies Sidorenko's conjecture in a stronger form.

Extreme paths in oriented two-dimensional percolation

A useful result about leftmost and rightmost paths in two-dimensional bond percolation is proved. This result was introduced without proof in Gray (1991) in the context of the contact process in continuous time. As discussed here, it also holds for several related models, including the discrete-time contact process and two-dimensional site percolation. Among the consequences are a natural monotonicity in the probability of percolation between different sites and a somewhat counter-intuitive correlation inequality.