Related papers: Markov chains conditioned never to wait too long a…
A sequence of real numbers (x_n) is Benford if the significands, i.e. the fraction parts in the floating-point representation of (x_n) are distributed logarithmically. Similarly, a discrete-time irreducible and aperiodic finite-state Markov…
We study the ergodic behaviour of a discrete-time process $X$ which is a Markov chain in a stationary random environment. The laws of $X_t$ are shown to converge to a limiting law in (weighted) total variation distance as $t\to\infty$.…
Given a sequence $(M_{k}, Q_{k})_{k\ge 1}$ of independent, identically distributed ran\-dom vectors with nonnegative components, we consider the recursive Markov chain $(X_{n})_{n\ge 0}$, defined by the random difference equation…
This paper presents an elementary proof of stochastic stability of a discrete-time reversible Markov chain starting from a Foster-Lyapunov drift condition. Besides its relative simplicity, there are two salient features of the proof: (i) it…
We study one-sided and $\alpha$-correct sequential hypothesis testing for data generated by an ergodic Markov chain. The null hypothesis is that the unknown transition matrix belongs to a prescribed set $P$ of stochastic matrices, and the…
This paper is concerned with an optimal stock selling rule under a Markov chain model. The objective is to find an optimal stopping time to sell the stock so as to maximize an expected return. Solutions to the associated variational…
In this short paper, we connect the procedure of constructing a totally inaccessible stopping time for a given process using the well-known Cox construction, dependent on an independent exponential random variable; with naturally occurring…
We derive a sufficient condition for a $k$-th order homogeneous Markov chain $\mathbf{Z}$ with finite alphabet $\mathcal{Z}$ to have a unique invariant distribution on $\mathcal{Z}^k$. Specifically, let $\mathbf{X}$ be a first-order,…
There is a well-established theory linking certain semi-Markov chains and continuous-time random walks to time-fractional equations and anomalous diffusion. In this work, we go beyond the semi-Markov framework by considering some…
Based on a weak convergence argument, we provide a necessary and sufficient condition that guarantees that a nonnegative local martingale is indeed a martingale. Typically, conditions of this sort are expressed in terms of integrability…
We study the first exit time $\tau$ from an arbitrary cone with apex at the origin by a non-homogeneous random walk (Markov chain) on $\Z^d$ ($d \geq 2$) with mean drift that is asymptotically zero. Specifically, if the mean drift at $\bx…
Conditioning Markov processes to avoid a set is a classical problem that has been studied in many settings. In the present article we study the question if a Levy process can be conditioned to avoid an interval and, if so, the path behavior…
Verification of infinite-state Markov chains is still a challenge despite several fruitful numerical or statistical approaches. For decisive Markov chains, there is a simple numerical algorithm that frames the reachability probability as…
We analyse the structure of imprecise Markov chains and study their convergence by means of accessibility relations. We first identify the sets of states, so-called minimal permanent classes, that are the minimal sets capable of containing…
We investigate recurrence and transience of Branching Markov Chains (BMC) in discrete time. Branching Markov Chains are clouds of particles which move (according to an irreducible underlying Markov Chain) and produce offspring…
We prove the existence of limiting distributions for a large class of Markov chains on a general state space in a random environment. We assume suitable versions of the standard drift and minorization conditions. In particular, the system…
A finite ergodic Markov chain is said to exhibit cutoff if its distance to stationarity remains close to 1 over a certain number of iterations and then abruptly drops to near 0 on a much shorter time scale. Discovered in the context of card…
We study Markov processes conditioned so that their local time must grow slower than a prescribed function. Building upon recent work on Brownian motion with constrained local time in [5] and [33], we study transience and recurrence for a…
If the state space of a homogeneous continuous-time Markov chain is too large, making inferences - here limited to determining marginal or limit expectations - becomes computationally infeasible. Fortunately, the state space of such a chain…
We consider continuous-space, discrete-time Markov chains on $\mathbb{R}^d$, that admit a finite number $N$ of metastable states. Our main motivation for investigating these processes is to analyse random Poincar\'e maps, which describe…