English

Markov chains on finite fields with deterministic jumps

Probability 2022-03-08 v3 Number Theory

Abstract

We study the Markov chain on Fp\mathbf{F}_p obtained by applying a function ff and adding ±γ\pm\gamma with equal probability. When ff is a linear function, this is the well-studied Chung--Diaconis--Graham process. We consider two cases: when ff is the extension of a rational function which is bijective, and when f(x)=x2f(x)=x^2. In the latter case, the stationary distribution is not uniform and we characterize it when p=3(mod4)p=3\pmod{4}. In both cases, we give an almost linear bound on the mixing time, showing that the deterministic function dramatically speeds up mixing. The proofs involve establishing bounds on exponential sums over the union of short intervals.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2010.10668,
  title  = {Markov chains on finite fields with deterministic jumps},
  author = {Jimmy He},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2010.10668},
  year   = {2022}
}

Comments

v3: final version. 18 pages, comments are welcome!

R2 v1 2026-06-23T19:30:22.389Z