On polynomials counting essentially irreducible maps

Abstract: We consider maps on genus-$g$ surfaces with $n$ (labeled) faces of prescribed even degrees. It is known since work of Norbury that, if one disallows vertices of degree one, the enumeration of such maps is related to the counting of lattice point in the moduli space of genus-$g$ curves with $n$ labeled points and is given by a symmetric polynomial $N_{g,n}(\ell_1,\ldots,\ell_n)$ in the face degrees $2\ell_1, \ldots, 2\ell_n$. We generalize this by restricting to genus-$g$ maps that are essentially $2b$-irreducible for $b\geq 0$, which loosely speaking means that they are not allowed to possess contractible cycles of length less than $2b$ and each such cycle of length $2b$ is required to bound a face of degree $2b$. The enumeration of such maps is shown to be again given by a symmetric polynomial $\hat{N}_{g,n}^{(b)}(\ell_1,\ldots,\ell_n)$ in the face degrees with a polynomial dependence on $b$. These polynomials satisfy (generalized) string and dilaton equations, which for $g\leq 1$ uniquely determine them. The proofs rely heavily on a substitution approach by Bouttier and Guitter and the enumeration of planar maps on genus-$g$ surfaces.