We consider self-avoiding polygons in a restricted geometry, namely an infinite L × M tube in Z3. These polygons are subjected to a force f, parallel to the infinite axis of the tube. When f > 0 the force stretches the polygons, while when f < 0 the force is compressive. In this extended abstract we obtain and prove the asymptotic form of the free energy in the limit f → −∞. We conjecture that the f → −∞ asymptote is the same as the free energy of Hamiltonian polygons, which visit every vertex in a L × M × N box.
Discrete Mathematics & Theoretical Computer Science