English

A Kesten Stigum theorem for Galton-Watson processes with infinitely many types in a random environment

Probability 2025-02-07 v4

Abstract

In this paper, we study a Galton-Watson process (Zn)(Z_n) with infinitely many types in a random ergodic environment ξˉ=(ξn)n0\bar{\xi}=(\xi_n)_{n\geq 0}. We focus on the supercritical regime of the process, where the quenched average of the size of the population grows exponentially fast to infinity. We work under Doeblin-type assumptions coming from a previous paper, which ensure that the quenched mean semi group of (Zn)(Z_n) satisfies some ergodicity property and admits a ξˉ\bar{\xi}-measurable family of space-time harmonic functions. We use these properties to derive an associated nonnegative martingale (Wn)(W_n). Under a Llog(L)1+εL\log(L)^{1+\varepsilon}-integrabilty assumption on the offspring distribution, we prove that the almost sure limit WW of the martingale (Wn)(W_n) is not degenerate. Assuming some uniform L2L^2-integrability of the offspring distribution, we prove that conditionally on {W>0}\{W>0\}, at a large time nn, both the size of the population and the distribution of types correspond to those of the quenched mean of the population E[Znξˉ,Z0]\mathbb{E}[Z_n|\bar{\xi}, Z_0]. We finally introduce an example of a process modelling a population with a discrete age structure. In this context, we provide more tractable criterions which guarantee our various assumptions are met.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2411.09629,
  title  = {A Kesten Stigum theorem for Galton-Watson processes with infinitely many types in a random environment},
  author = {Maxime Ligonnière},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2411.09629},
  year   = {2025}
}

Comments

42 pages. Comments are welcome !