(Séance commune avec le séminaire de physique théorique, de 13h30 à 14h30 en Amphi Schrödinger.)
One of the classic quantities in the six-vertex model is the domain wall partition function, which was computed as a determinant by Izergin. Most proofs of Izergin's formula are based on solving recursion relations and, as a consequence, a priori knowledge of the answer.
I will sketch a direct method for deriving Izergin's formula, based on Macdonald polynomials and their difference-operator eigenrelations (following ideas of Lascoux and Warnaar). The connection between the six-vertex model and Macdonald polynomials runs deeper still; I will discuss some intriguing distribution matches first observed by Borodin.
