English

A reverse Aldous/Broder algorithm

Probability 2021-03-29 v2 Combinatorics

Abstract

The Aldous--Broder algorithm provides a way of sampling a uniformly random spanning tree for finite connected graphs using simple random walk. Namely, start a simple random walk on a connected graph and stop at the cover time. The tree formed by all the first-entrance edges has the law of a uniform spanning tree. Here we show that the tree formed by all the last-exit edges also has the law of a uniform spanning tree. This answers a question of Tom Hayes and Cris Moore from 2010. The proof relies on a bijection that is related to the BEST theorem in graph theory. We also give other applications of our results, including new proofs of the reversibility of loop-erased random walk, of the Aldous--Broder algorithm itself, and of Wilson's algorithm.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1907.10196,
  title  = {A reverse Aldous/Broder algorithm},
  author = {Yiping Hu and Russell Lyons and Pengfei Tang},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1907.10196},
  year   = {2021}
}

Comments

14 pages, 1 figure