The Laplace Transform of the Cut-and-Join Equation and the Bouchard–Mariño Conjecture on Hurwitz Numbers

Author(s): Eynard, Bertrand; Mulase, Motohico; Safnuk, Brad | Abstract: We calculate the Laplace transform of the cut-and-join equation of Goulden, Jackson and Vakil. The result is a polynomial equation that has the topological structure identical to the Mirzakhani recursion formula for the Weil-Petersson volume of the moduli space of bordered hyperbolic surfaces. We find that the direct image of this Laplace transformed equation via the inverse of the Lambert W-function is the topological recursion formula for Hurwitz numbers conjectured by Bouchard and Marino using topological string theory.