A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
Step-constrained self-avoiding walks on finite grids
Authors: Belbachir, Hacène; Major, László; Németh, László; Szalay, László
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Publication year: 2026
Journal:: Journal of Combinatorial Theory, Series A
Article number: 106104
Volume: 218
ISSN: 0097-3165
eISSN: 1096-0899
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcta.2025.106104
Web address : https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcta.2025.106104
Self-archived copy’s web address: https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/500389381
The study of self-avoiding walks (SAWs) on integer lattices has been an area of active research for several decades. In this paper, we investigate the number of SAWs between two diagonally opposite corners in a finite rectangular subgraph of the integer lattice, subject to certain constraints. In the two–dimensional case, we provide an explicit formula for the number of SAWs of a prescribed length, restricted to three-step directions. In addition, we develop an algorithm that produces faster computational results than the explicit formula. For some special cases, we present detailed counts of the SAWs in question. For rectangular grid graphs of higher dimensions, we provide a formula to count the number of SAWs that are exactly two steps longer than the shortest walks.
Downloadable publication This is an electronic reprint of the original article. |