Discrete Laplacian Structure and Kernel Reduction of the Gap Equation in $d=4k+3$ Gross--Neveu Model at Imaginary Chemical Potential

Abstract: We observe a remarkable mathematical structure in the gap equations of the large-$N$ Gross--Neveu model at imaginary chemical potential in odd spacetime dimensions $d = 4k+3$. We show they can be written as the sum of two parts: one defined by higher-order discrete Laplacian patterns and a cut-off dependent part given by truncated asymptotic expansion of a hypergeometric function. We argue that this picture corresponds to a deeper relationship between thermal field theories in these odd $d$ and exactly-solvable one-dimensional quantum problems. We find that the thermal mass at specific imaginary chemical potential values is fixed where internal energy balances entropic states of thermal modes which is physically equivalent with OPE inversion formula techniques where thermal mass values arise from transcendental sets of equations.