The unusual asymptotics of three-sided prudent polygons

Abstract

We have studied the area-generating function of prudent polygons on the square lattice. Exact solutions are obtained for the generating function of two-sided and three-sided prudent polygons, and a functional equation is found for four-sided prudent polygons. This is used to generate series coefficients in polynomial time, and these are analysed to determine the asymptotics numerically. A careful asymptotic analysis of the three-sided polygons produces a most surprising result. A transcendental critical exponent is found, and the leading amplitude is not quite a constant, but is a constant plus a small oscillatory component with an amplitude approximately 10-8 times that of the leading ampli..