TOUCHING RANDOM SURFACES AND LIOUVILLE GRAVITY

Large N matrix models modified by terms of the form g(Trn)2 generate random surfaces which touch at isolated points. Matrix model results indicate that, as g is increased to a special value gt, the string susceptibility exponent suddenly jumps from its conventional value to /(-1). We study this effect in Liouville gravity and attribute it to a change of the interaction term from Oe+ for g<gt to Oe- for g=gt (+ and - are the two roots of the conformal invariance condition for the Liouville dressing of a matter operator O). Thus, the new critical behavior is explained by the unconventional branch of Liouville dressing in the action. © 1995 The American Physical Society.