A tree formula for the ellipsoidal superpotential of the complex projective plane

Abstract: The ellipsoidal superpotential of the complex projective plane can be interpreted as a count of rigid rational plane curves of a given degree with one prescribed cusp singularity. In this note we present a closed formula for these counts as a sum over trees with certain explicit weights. This is a step towards understanding the combinatorial underpinnings of the ellipsoidal superpotential and its mysterious nonvanishing and nondecreasing properties.