Off-critical parafermions and the winding angle distribution of the O(n) model

Using an off-critical deformation of the identity of Duminil-Copin and Smirnov, we prove a relationship between half-plane surface critical exponents γ1 and γ11 as well as wedge critical exponents γ2(α) and γ21(α) and the exponent characterizing the winding angle distribution of the O(n) model in the half-plane, or more generally in a wedge of wedge-angle α. We assume only the existence of these exponents and, for some values of n, the conjectured value of the critical point. If we assume their values as predicted by conformal field theory, one gets complete agreement with the conjectured winding angle distribution, as obtained by CFT and Coulomb gas arguments. We also prove the exponent inequality γ1 − γ11 ⩾ 1, and its extension γ2(α) − γ21(α) ⩾ 1 for the edge exponents. We provide conjectured values for all exponents for n ∈ [ − 2, 2).