REVIEW 3 major objections 3 minor 2 cited by
Convergence rate of extreme eigenvalue of Ginibre ensembles to Gumbel distribution
T0 review · 3 major / 3 minor · reviewed 2026-08-07 · deepseek-v4-flash
Pith's one-line read This paper proves that Ginibre rightmost eigenvalues approach Gumbel with sharp rates $\frac{25\log\log n}{4e\log n}$ and $\frac{25\log\log n}{4\log n}$, universal for complex i.i.d. entries.
desk verdict Sharp Ginibre edge rates are real; the paper's flaws are presentational, not load-bearing. read the letter →
The pith
A machine-rendered reading of the paper's core claim, the machinery that carries it, and where it could break.
The reading
What carries the argument
The central object is the correlation kernel $\widetilde K_n(z,w)$ of the complex Ginibre eigenvalues, with the Pfaffian analogue $K_n^{C,C}(z,w)$ for the real case. The machinery is the identity $\mathbb{P}(Z_n\le t)=\det(1-W_n^{(t)})$, where $W_n^{(t)}$ is the kernel compressed to the half-plane $A(t)$. Since $\|W_n^{(t)}\|_2\lesssim e^{-\sqrt{\log n}/32}$, the determinant is well approximated by $\exp(-\operatorname{Tr} W_n^{(t)})$. The proof's heart is Lemma 2.3, which computes $\operatorname{Tr} W_n^{(t)}=e^{-t}(1+(c_n-t^2-5t)/\log n)(1+O((\log n)^{-1}))$ uniformly in the edge regime; the term $25\log\log n$ inside $c_n=(25\log\log n+5\log(2\pi^4)-35)/4$ is the source of the sharp constant. The analogous trace asymptotics for the spectral radius and for the real Pfaffian kernel are proved in Lemmas 2.4 through 2.6.
What would settle it
Simulate many real and complex Ginibre matrices at a large finite $n$, compute the rescaled rightmost eigenvalue $Z_n$, and estimate the Kolmogorov distance $\sup_x|\mathbb{P}(Z_n\le x)-e^{-\frac{\beta}{2}e^{-x}}|$ and the $W_1$ distance. If the theorem is correct, these quantities multiplied by $\log n/\log\log n$ should approach $25/(4e)$ and $25/4$ (respectively $2/e$ and $2$ for $Y_n$) as $n$ grows. A ratio that drifts or settles on a different constant would falsify the claimed asymptotics.
Extended reading notes
Core claim
The central discovery is that the speed of Gumbel convergence at the Ginibre edge has a closed-form asymptotic with explicit constants. Theorem 1 shows that for real and complex Ginibre matrices, with $Z_n=\sqrt{4n\gamma_n}(\max_i\Re\sigma_i-1-\sqrt{\gamma_n/(4n)})$ and $\gamma_n=\tfrac12(\log n-5\log\log n-\log(2\pi^4))$, the Kolmogorov distance satisfies $\sup_x|\mathbb{P}(Z_n\le x)-e^{-\frac{\beta}{2}e^{-x}}|=\frac{25\log\log n}{4e\log n}(1+o(1))$ and the $W_1$ distance satisfies $W_1(\mathcal{L}(Z_n),\Lambda_\beta)=\frac{25\log\log n}{4\log n}(1+o(1))$. Theorem 2 gives the analogous statements for the spectral radius $Y_n$ with constants $2/e$ and $2$. Theorem 3 extends the rightmost-eigenvalue rate to complex i.i.d. matrices satisfying moment conditions, and the accompanying remark carries the same rate to the spectral radius. Theorem 4 shows that under the alternative scaling equations $64\tilde\gamma_n^5\pi^4 e^{2\tilde\gamma_n}=n$ and $2\pi(\tilde\gamma'_n)^2 e^{\tilde\gamma'_n}=n$, the rates improve to $\kappa_1/(4\log n)$ and $\kappa_2/\log n$ with $\kappa_1\approx 15.4$ and $\kappa_2\approx 1.48$.
Load-bearing premise
The argument relies on a quoted asymptotic expansion for the incomplete gamma function being uniform at the edge scale where $|z|^2-1$ is of order $\sqrt{\log n/n}$; if that uniformity fails, the sharp constants in the theorems lose their justification.
Editorial extensions
If this is right
- The previously known error bound $O((\log\log n)^2/\log n)$ for the rightmost eigenvalue of Ginibre matrices is upgraded to an exact asymptotic with explicit constant, for both real and complex ensembles.
- The spectral-radius analogue of the exact-rate result now holds for rightmost eigenvalues and for the real Ginibre ensemble, not only for the complex spectral radius.
- For complex i.i.d. matrices satisfying the stated moment conditions, the same sharp rates hold for both the rightmost eigenvalue and the spectral radius, so the rate is universal.
- Under the alternative scalings defined by $64\tilde\gamma_n^5\pi^4 e^{2\tilde\gamma_n}=n$ and $2\pi(\tilde\gamma'_n)^2 e^{\tilde\gamma'_n}=n$, the convergence rate improves to $1/\log n$ with explicit constants $\kappa_1/4$ and $\kappa_2$.
- The $W_1$ result is an integral statement, not just a pointwise one, so it controls the full tail of the distance between the rescaled edge distribution and Gumbel.
Reading between the lines
- Because the proof relies only on local asymptotics of the correlation kernel near the spectral edge, the same sharp constants should control other directional extremes, such as the largest imaginary part or the extreme in a fixed angular sector, by rotation symmetry of the Ginibre kernel.
- The new scaling theorem suggests that choosing the centering and scaling constants optimally removes the $\log\log n$ factor entirely, leaving a rate of order $1/\log n$; further optimization of the scaling constants may push the rate even lower, though the paper stops at the stated constants.
- The Pfaffian results for the real Ginibre ensemble are a first step toward a sharp-rate universality statement for real i.i.d. matrices, where the correlation structure is more delicate than in the complex case.
- The explicit dependence of the constant on the polynomial correction $4t^2+20t+35$ indicates that the sharp prefactor is governed by the second-order edge profile of the kernel, so any model sharing that profile should reproduce the same constants.
Editorial analysis
A structured set of objections, weighed in public.
Referee Report
Summary. The paper studies the extreme eigenvalues of real and complex Ginibre matrices, focusing on the rightmost eigenvalue (largest real part) and on the spectral radius. The main results, Theorems 1 and 2, claim sharp first-order asymptotics for both the Kolmogorov distance and the W1 Wasserstein distance to the appropriate Gumbel distribution, with explicit constants: 25/(4e) and 25/4 for the rightmost eigenvalue, and 2/e and 2 for the spectral radius. Theorem 3 extends the complex Ginibre rates to complex i.i.d. matrices under Assumption 1.1, and Theorem 4 discusses the effect of changing the scaling constants. The proofs use the determinantal/Pfaffian structure of Ginibre ensembles, with detailed asymptotic analysis of the correlation kernel and of the trace of the associated integral operator.
Significance. If the main claims are correct, the paper sharpens the previously known O((log log n)^2/log n) bound from Cipolloni–Erdős–Schröder–Xu [15] to the exact order and sharp constant, and similarly gives the first sharp W1 rate for these edge statistics. The extension to the real Ginibre ensemble and to spectral radius is a natural and valuable step. The paper contains substantial technically detailed kernel asymptotics, particularly Lemmas 2.2, 2.3, and 2.5, and the overall strategy is coherent. The main reservations concern the rigor of the uniform control in Proposition 1 and a numerical/algebraic inconsistency in Lemma 2.4, as well as the sketchy treatment of the universality theorem.
major comments (3)
- [Section 3, Proposition 1, Eq. (3.1)] The uniform statement in Proposition 1 is not justified as written. In the proof, the factor |c_n - t^2 - 5t| is replaced by c_n(1+o(1)), but on the stated interval t in [-1/4 log log n, (log n)^{1/4}] the term t^2 can be of order (log n)^{1/2}, which is not o(log log n); for instance at t=(log n)^{1/8} we have t^2/(log log n) -> infinity. Thus the displayed pointwise asymptotic fails on parts of the interval. The final supremum or integral may still be dominated by the region t=O(1), but this requires a separate argument; as it stands, the proof of the Berry-Esseen bound in Section 3.1 and the computation of I2 in Section 3.2 are incomplete.
- [Lemma 2.4, Eq. (2.19) and (2.23)-(2.26)] The expansion of a_t in (2.22) gives a_t - 1 = sqrt(gamma'_n/n) + t/sqrt(n gamma'_n) + O(gamma'_n/n), and hence n mu^2(a_t) = gamma'_n/2 + t + t^2/(2 gamma'_n) + o(gamma'_n^{-1}), not the displayed gamma'_n/2 + t + t^2/gamma'_n. Tracing this through (2.24)-(2.26) changes the numerator in (2.19) from d_n - t^2 - 4t to d_n - 2t - t^2/2. The stated lemma therefore appears to be incorrect as it stands. Since Proposition 1(3.2) and Theorem 2 rely on this lemma, the proof needs revision. The leading 2 log log n/log n constant is likely unaffected because the polynomial correction is O(1) near the maximizing t=O(1), but the lemma must be corrected.
- [Section 4, Theorem 3, Eq. (4.2)] The decisive comparison sup_{x in [-ell_n, ell_n]} |F_n(x)-F_n^Gin(x)| <~ n^{-epsilon} with ell_n=(log n)^{1/4} is asserted by 'scrutinizing the proof of [17, Theorem 4.1]', but the cited theorem is not stated in that form. The introduction only quotes pointwise convergence results (1.2)-(1.3), and a uniform comparison on a growing interval with a polynomial error is a stronger statement. Without a precise statement of the version used, and a verification that it applies to the scaling here, the universality of the convergence rate - a central advertised conclusion - is not established. Please provide the comparison as a lemma with full hypotheses and proof, or at least state the exact theorem from [17] that implies (4.2).
minor comments (3)
- [Introduction, definition of O(.)] The definition of O(.) in the introduction is nonstandard and conflicts with the usual meaning: requiring lim t_n/z_n = c != 0 excludes terms that are actually o(z_n) and makes statements such as 0=O(z_n) false. Please use standard O notation, with a separate symbol such as '=' or '~' for asymptotic equivalence.
- [Section 3.2] The integration limits in the W1 decomposition appear reversed: the text writes \int_{-\ell_1(n)}^{-\infty} and later \int_{-\ell_1(n)}^{-\ell_2(n)}. The intended intervals are clearly (-\infty, -\ell_1(n)] and [-\ell_2(n), -\ell_1(n)]; please correct the typography.
- [Theorem 4] The numerical values kappa_1 ≈ 15.4 and kappa_2 ≈ 1.48 are stated without derivation. If these constants are included, please add a short justification or a computational remark so the reader can verify them.
Circularity Check
No circularity: the rate constants are derived from explicit trace asymptotics and external estimates, not fitted or imported by self-citation.
full rationale
The paper's central claims (Theorems 1 and 2) are proved by computing Tr(W_n^{(t)}) and ||W_n^{(t)}||_2 directly from the explicit Ginibre correlation kernel, with asymptotic expansions quoted from external sources [15, 31, 24]. The only self-citations, [26] and [27], appear as background and motivation; they are not used as load-bearing inputs in any proof. In fact, the paper independently re-derives the spectral-radius rate for complex Ginibre that [26] had obtained, rather than importing it. The constants 25/4, 25/(4e), 2, and 2/e arise algebraically from the expansions in Lemmas 2.3 and 2.4 and from the explicit supremum/integral of e^{-e^{-t}-t}; no parameter is fitted to the announced rate. Theorem 3's universality relies on the external comparison theorem [17, Theorem 4.1], whose authors do not overlap with the present authors, and the proof only uses it to transfer the Ginibre rate to i.i.d. matrices. The uniformity concern around [31, Lemma 3.2] raised in the reader's take is a potential rigor issue about the validity of an external asymptotic estimate in the edge regime, not a circularity within this paper. No definitional equivalence, fitted-input-as-prediction, or self-citation chain that forces the result was found.
Assumptions & free parameters
assumptions (5)
- domain assumption The incomplete-Gamma ratio expansion from [31, Lemma 3.2] is valid uniformly in the edge regime (2.7).
- standard math The determinant-to-exponential bound (2.4) from [24] applies to the integral operator W_n^{(t)}.
- domain assumption The Green function comparison theorem of [17, Theorem 4.1] gives sup_{x in [-l,l]} |F_n - F_n^Gin| bounded by n^{-epsilon}.
- domain assumption For real Ginibre, the largest real eigenvalue is O(1/sqrt n) away from the edge and can be ignored relative to complex eigenvalues.
- domain assumption The norm bound ||W_n^{(t)}||_2 bounded by e^{-sqrt(log n)/32} from [15] holds uniformly on |t| <= sqrt(log n)/10.
Cite this review
Pith. "Pith review of Convergence rate of extreme eigenvalue of Ginibre ensembles to Gumbel distribution." pith.science (2026). https://pith.science/paper/SAFFGCG4
@misc{pith2026250604560,
author = {Pith},
title = {Pith review of: Convergence rate of extreme eigenvalue of Ginibre ensembles to Gumbel distribution},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {\url{https://pith.science/paper/SAFFGCG4}},
note = {Machine review of arXiv:2506.04560}
}
abstract
Let $X$ be a real $(\beta=1)$ or complex $(\beta=2)$ Ginibre ensemble. Let $\{\sigma_i\}_{1\le i\le n}$ be the eigenvalues of $X,$ and $Z_n$ be some rescaled version of $\max_i \Re \sigma_i.$ It was proved that $Z_n$ converges weakly to the Gumbel distribution $\Lambda_{\beta}$ with distribution function $e^{-\frac{\beta}{2}e^{-x}}.$ We further prove that $$\sup_{x\in \mathbb{R}}|\mathbb{P}(Z_n \leq x)-e^{-\frac{\beta}{2}e^{-x}}|=\frac{25\log \log n}{4e \log n}(1+o(1))$$ and $$ W_1\left(\mathcal{L}(Z_n), \Lambda_{\beta}\right)=\frac{25\log \log n}{4\log n}(1+o(1))$$ for sufficiently large $n$, where $\mathcal{L}(Z_n)$ is the distribution of $Z_n$ and $W_1$ is the Wasserstein distance. Similar results hold for $\max_{i} |\sigma_i|.$ Furthermore, the convergence rates of the complex Ginibre ensemble are universal for complex iid random matrices under certain moment conditions on entries.
Forward citations
Cited by 2 Pith papers
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Moderate-to-large deviation asymptotics for real eigenvalues of the elliptic Ginibre matrices
For elliptic real Ginibre matrices, probabilities of rare counts of real eigenvalues have explicit exponential rate functions in the strong- and weak-asymmetry regimes, new even for the real Ginibre ensemble.
-
Revisit on the convergence rate of normal extremes
Gaussian maxima to Gumbel convergence rates are computed exactly for the Kolmogorov, W1, total variation, KL and Fisher metrics, with explicit constants depending on powers of log log n and log n.
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