Harmonic moments of branching processes in random environments

We consider harmonic moments of branching processes in general random environments. For a sequence of square integrable random variables, we give some conditions such that there is a positive constant c that every variable in this sequence belong to Ac or A1c uniformly.     

Scenery reconstruction with branching random walk

We study the problem of scenery reconstruction in arbitrary dimension using observations registered in boxes of size k (for k fixed), seen along a branching random walk. We prove that, using a large enough k for almost all the realizations of the branching random walk, almost all sceneries can be reconstructed up to equivalence.     

Age-dependent branching processes in random environments

We consider an age-dependent branching process in random environments. The environments are represented by a stationary and ergodic sequence ξ = (ξ0,ξ1,...) of random variables. Given an environment ξ, the process is a non-homogenous Galton-Watson process, whose particles in n-th generation have a life length distribution G(ξn) on R , and reproduce independently new particles according to a probability law p(ξn) on N. Let Z(t) be the number of particles alive at time t. We first find a characterization of the conditional probability generating function of Z(t) (given the environment ξ) via a functional equation, and obtain a criterion for almost certain extinction of the process by comparing it with an embedded Galton-Watson process. We then get expressions of the conditional mean EξZ(t) and the global mean EZ(t), and show their exponential growth rates by studying a renewal equation in random environments.     

Bounds of deviation for branching chains in random environments

We consider non-extinct branching processes in general random environments. Under the condition of means and second moments of each generation being bounded, we give the upper bounds and lower bounds for some form deviations of the process.     

Tail estimates for one-dimensional non-nearest-neighbor random walk in random environment

Suppose that the integers are assigned i.i.d. random variables {(β gx , . . . , β 1x , α x )} (each taking values in the unit interval and the sum of them being 1), which serve as an environment. This environment defines a random walk {X n } (called RWRE) which, when at x, moves one step of length 1 to the right with probability α x and one step of length k to the left with probability β kx for 1≤ k≤ g. For certain environment distributions, we determine the almost-sure asymptotic speed of the RWRE and show that the chance of the RWRE deviating below this speed has a polynomial rate of decay. This is the generalization of the results by Dembo, Peres and Zeitouni in 1996. In the proof we use a large deviation result for the product of random matrices and some tail estimates and moment estimates for the total population size in a multi-type branching process with random environment.     

Extremum of a time-inhomogeneous branching random walk

Consider a time-inhomogeneous branching random walk, generated by the point process L_n which composed by two independent parts: ‘branching’offspring X_n with the mean \mathrm{1}+{B(\mathrm{1}+n)}^{-\beta } for \beta \in (\mathrm{0},\mathrm{1}) and ‘displacement’ {{\displaystyle \xi }}_n with a drift {A(\mathrm{1}+n)}^{-\mathrm{2}\alpha } for \alpha \in (\mathrm{0},\mathrm{1}/\mathrm{2}), where the ‘branching’ process is supercritical for B>0 but ‘asymptotically critical’ and the drift of the ‘displacement’ {{\displaystyle \xi }}_n is strictly positive or negative for \left|A\right|\rangle \mathrm{0} but ‘asymptotically’ goes to zero as time goes to infinity. We find that the limit behavior of the minimal (or maximal) position of the branching random walk is sensitive to the ‘asymptotical’ parameter \beta and \alpha.     

Asymptotic direction for random walks in random environments

In this paper we study the existence of an asymptotic direction for random walks in random i.i.d. environments (RWRE). We prove that if the set of directions where the walk is transient contains a non-empty open set, the walk admits an asymptotic direction. The main tool to obtain this result is the construction of a renewal structure with cones. We also prove that RWRE admits at most two opposite asymptotic directions.     

Second order limit theorems for the Markov branching process in random environments

In a Markov branching process with random environments, limiting fluctuations of the population size arise from the changing environment, which causes random variation of the ‘deterministic’ population prediction, and from the stochastic wobble around this ‘deterministic’ mean, which is apparent in the ordinary Markov branching process. If the random environment is generated by a suitable stationary process, the first variation typically swamps the second kind. In this paper, environmental processes are considered which, in contrast, lead to sampling and environmental fluctuation of comparable magnitude. The method makes little use either of stationarity or of the branching property, and is amenable to some generalization away from the Markov branching process.     

Central limit theorems for a branching random walk with a random environment in time

We consider a branching random walk with a random environment in time, in which the offspring distribution of a particle of generation n and the distribution of the displacements of its children depend on an environment indexed by the time n. The environment is supposed to be independent and identically distributed. For A ?, let Z_n(A) be the number of particles of generation n located in A. We show central limit theorems for the counting measure Z_n(·) with appropriate normalization.     

Asymptotic properties of supercritical branching processes in random environments

We consider a supercritical branching process （Zn） in an independent and identically distributed random environment ξ, and present some recent results on the asymptotic properties of the limit variable W of the natural martingale Wn = Zn/E[Zn｜ξ], the convergence rates of W - Wn （by considering the convergence in law with a suitable norming, the almost sure convergence, the convergence in Lp, and the convergence in probability）, and limit theorems （such as central limit theorems, moderate and large deviations principles） on （log Zn）.     

Maxima of branching random walks vs. independent random walks

In recent years several authors have obtained limit theorems for the location of the right most particle in a supercritical branching random walk. In this paper we will consider analogous problems for an exponentially growing number of independent random walks. A comparison of our results with the known results of branching random walk then identifies the limit behaviors which are due to the number of particles and those which are determined by the branching structure.     

A note on exact convergence rate in the local limit theorem for a lattice branching random walk

Consider a branching random walk, where the underlying branching mechanism is governed by a Galton-Watson process and the moving law of particles by a discrete random variable on the integer lattice Z. Denote by Z_n(z) the number of particles in the n-th generation in the model for each z ∈ Z. We derive the exact convergence rate in the local limit theorem for Z_n(z) assuming a condition like "EN(log N)~(1+λ) ∞" for the offspring distribution and a finite moment condition on the motion law. This complements the known results for the strongly non-lattice branching random walk on the real line and for the simple symmetric branching random walk on the integer lattice.     

Branching random walks with random environments in time

We consider a branching random walk on N with a random environment in time （denoted by ξ）. Let Zn be the counting measure of particles of generation n, and let Zn（t） be its Laplace transform. We show the convergence of the free energy n-llog Zn（t）, large deviation principles, and central limit theorems for the sequence of measures {Zn}, and a necessary and sufficient condition for the existence of moments of the limit of the martingale Zn（t）/E[Zn（t）ξ].     

Data structures with dynamical random transitions

We present a (non‐standard) probabilistic analysis of dynamic data structures whose sizes are considered dynamic random walks. The basic operations (insertion, deletion, positive and negative queries, batched insertion, lazy deletion, etc.) are time‐dependent random variables. This model is a (small) step toward the analysis of these structures when the distribution of the set of histories is not uniform. As an illustration, we focus on list structures (linear lists, priority queues, and dictionaries) but the technique is applicable as well to more advanced data structures. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Random Struct. Alg., 2006     

The branching chain with drift in space-time random environment (I): Model,Markov property,moments

There are three parts in this article. In Section 1, we establish the model of branching chain with drift in space-time random environment (BCDSTRE), i.e., the coupling of branching chain and random walk. In Section 2, we prove that any BCDSTRE must be a Markov chain in time random environment when we consider the distribution of the particles in space as a random element. In Section 3, we calculate the first-order moments and the second-order moments of BCDSTRE.     

Identifying several biased coins encountered by a hidden random walk

Suppose that attached to each site z ∈ ? is a coin with bias θ(z), and only finitely many of these coins have nonzero bias. Allow a simple random walker to generate observations by tossing, at each move, the coin attached to its current position. Then we can determine the biases {θ(z)}_z∈?, using only the outcomes of these coin tosses and no information about the path of the random walker, up to a shift and reflection of ?. This generalizes a result of Harris and Keane. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Random Struct. Alg., 2004     

A random walk proof of the Erdős-Taylor conjecture

Summary For the simple random walk in ]]>\mathbb{Z}^2$ we study those points which are visited an unusually large number of times, and provide a new proof of the Erdős-Taylor Conjecture describing the number of visits to the most visited point.     

Linear and sub-linear growth and the CLT for hitting times of a random walk in random environment on a strip

The main goal of this work is to study the asymptotic behaviour of hitting times of a random walk (RW) in a quenched random environment (RE) on a strip. We introduce enlarged random environments in which the traditional hitting time can be presented as a sum of independent random variables whose distribution functions form a stationary random sequence. This allows us to obtain conditions (stated in terms of properties of random environments) for a linear growth of hitting times of relevant random walks. In some important cases (e.g. independent random environments) these conditions are also necessary for this type of behaviour. We also prove the quenched Central Limit Theorem (CLT) for hitting times in the general ergodic setting. A particular feature of these (ballistic) laws in random environment is that, whenever they hold under standard normalization, the convergence is a convergence with a speed. The latter is due to certain properties of moments of hitting times which are also studied in this paper. The asymptotic properties of the position of the walk are stated but are not proved in this work since this has been done in Goldhseid (Probab. Theory Relat. Fields 139(1):41–64, 2007).