Cut-and-join structure and integrability for spin Hurwitz numbers

Abstract

Abstract Spin Hurwitz numbers are related to characters of the Sergeev group, which are the expansion coefficients of the Q Schur functions, depending on odd times and on a subset of all Young diagrams. These characters involve two dual subsets: the odd partitions (OP) and the strict partitions (SP). The Q Schur functions $$Q_R$$ QR with $$R\in \hbox {SP}$$ R∈SP are common eigenfunctions of cut-and-join operators $$W_\Delta $$ WΔ with $$\Delta \in \hbox {OP}$$ Δ∈OP . The eigenvalues of these operators are the generalized Sergeev characters, their algebra is isomorphic to the algebra of Q Schur functions. Similarly to the case of the ordinary Hurwitz numbers, the generating function of spin Hurwitz numbers is a $$\tau $$ τ -function of an integrable hierarchy, that is, of the BKP type. At last, we discuss relations of the Sergeev characters with matrix models.