Related papers: Surprise probabilities in Markov chains

Let {X_n,n\geq0} be a Markov chain on a general state space X with transition probability P and stationary probability \pi. Suppose an additive component S_n takes values in the real line R and is adjoined to the chain such that…

Let $X$ be the constrained random walk on ${\mathbb Z}_+^2$ having increments $(1,0)$, $(-1,1)$, $(0,-1)$ with jump probabilities $\lambda(M_k)$, $\mu_1(M_k)$, and $\mu_2(M_k)$ where $M$ is an irreducible aperiodic finite state Markov…

In this note we derive the exact probability that a specific state in a two-state Markov chain is visited exactly $k$ times after $N$ transitions. We provide a closed-form solution for $\mathbb{P}(N_l = k \mid N)$, considering initial state…

The cover time of a Markov chain on a finite state space is the expected time until all states are visited. We show that if the cover time of a discrete-time Markov chain with rational transitions probabilities is bounded, then it is a…

Let $P$ be the transition matrix of a finite, irreducible and reversible Markov chain. We say the continuous time Markov chain $X$ has transition matrix $P$ and speed $\lambda$ if it jumps at rate $\lambda$ according to the matrix $P$. Fix…

Suppose X and Y are two independent irreducible Markov chains on n states. We consider the intersection time, which is the first time their trajectories intersect. We show for reversible and lazy chains that the total variation mixing time…

The distribution of the "mixing time" or the "time to stationarity" in a discrete time irreducible Markov chain, starting in state i, can be defined as the number of trials to reach a state sampled from the stationary distribution of the…

Approximating the stationary probability of a state in a Markov chain through Markov chain Monte Carlo techniques is, in general, inefficient. Standard random walk approaches require $\tilde{O}(\tau/\pi(v))$ operations to approximate the…

We prove a Chernoff-type bound for sums of matrix-valued random variables sampled via a regular (aperiodic and irreducible) finite Markov chain. Specially, consider a random walk on a regular Markov chain and a Hermitian matrix-valued…

Given a discrete source distribution $\mu$ and discrete target distribution $\nu$ on a common finite state space $\mathcal{X}$, we are tasked with transporting $\mu$ to $\nu$ using a given discrete-time Markov chain $X$ with the quickest…

We consider a continuous-time Markov chain with a finite or countable state space. For a site y and subset H of the state space, the hitting time of y under taboo H is defined to be infinite if the process trajectory hits H before y, and…

In this paper, we present a novel iterative Monte Carlo method for approximating the stationary probability of a single state of a positive recurrent Markov chain. We utilize the characterization that the stationary probability of a state…

Consider a Markov chain $(X_n)_{n\geqslant 0}$ with values in the state space $\mathbb X$. Let $f$ be a real function on $\mathbb X$ and set $S_0=0,$ $S_n = f(X_1)+\cdots + f(X_n),$ $n\geqslant 1$. Let $\mathbb P_x$ be the probability…

We present analytical results for the distribution of first hitting times of random walks (RWs) on random regular graphs (RRGs) of degree $c \ge 3$ and a finite size $N$. Starting from a random initial node at time $t=1$, at each time step…

We investigate the hitting times of random walks on graphs, where a hitting time is defined as the number of steps required for a random walker to move from one node to another. While much of the existing literature focuses on calculating…

We study hitting times in simple random walks on graphs, which measure the time required to reach specific target vertices. Our main result establishes a sharp lower bound for the variance of hitting times. For a simple random walk on a…

We study random walk on complex networks with transition probabilities which depend on the current and previously visited nodes. By using an absorbing Markov chain we derive an exact expression for the mean first passage time between pairs…

The cutoff phenomenon describes a sharp transition in the convergence of a family of ergodic finite Markov chains to equilibrium. Many natural families of chains are believed to exhibit cutoff, and yet establishing this fact is often…

Motivated by Feller's coin-tossing problem, we consider the problem of conditioning an irreducible Markov chain never to wait too long at 0. Denoting by $\tau$ the first time that the chain, $X$, waits for at least one unit of time at the…

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…