Related papers: On a Markov construction of couplings

In a uniform random permutation \Pi of [n] := {1,2,...,n}, the set of elements k in [n-1] such that \Pi(k+1) = \Pi(k) + 1 has the same distribution as the set of fixed points of \Pi that lie in [n-1]. We give three different proofs of this…

Let $\pi_n$ be a uniformly chosen random permutation on $[n]$. Using an analysis of the probability that two overlapping consecutive $k$-permutations are order isomorphic, the authors of a recent paper showed that the expected number of…

We present a novel approach to quantizing Markov chains. The approach is based on the Markov chain coupling method, which is frequently used to prove fast mixing. Given a particular coupling, e.g., a grand coupling, we construct a…

This simple note lays out a few observations which are well known in many ways but may not have been said in quite this way before. The basic idea is that when comparing two different Markov chains it is useful to couple them is such a way…

It is well known that a binomial $(n,p)$ can be approximated by a Poisson distribution with parameter $np$. The typical approach in undergraduate probability texts is to show a convergence result for the distribution of the binomial as $n$…

This article shows how coupled Markov chains that meet exactly after a random number of iterations can be used to generate unbiased estimators of the solutions of the Poisson equation. Through this connection, we re-derive known unbiased…

Determinations of the couplings of $N N (n \pi) (n \geq 1)$ are reported. The study is based on both a quark model of nucleon and a chiral field theory of mesons. The coupling of $N N \pi$ is predicted and is in agreement with current…

A rescaled Markov chain converges uniformly in probability to the solution of an ordinary differential equation, under carefully specified assumptions. The presentation is much simpler than those in the outside literature. The result may be…

The notion of a successful coupling of Markov processes, based on the idea that both components of the coupled system ``intersect'' in finite time with probability one, is extended to cover situations when the coupling is unnecessarily…

Let $G_{k,n}$ be a group of permutations of $kn$ objects which permutes things independently in disjoint blocks of size $k$ and then permutes the blocks. We investigate the probabilistic and/or enumerative aspects of random elements of…

We use coupling to study the time taken until the distribution of a statistic on a Markov chain is close to its stationary distribution. Coupling is a common technique used to obtain upper bounds on mixing times of Markov chains, and we…

In this article we extend the coupling method from classical probability theory to quantum Markov chains on atomic von Neumann algebras. In particular, we establish a coupling inequality, which allow us to estimate convergence rates by…

We consider irreversible Markov chains on finite commutative rings randomly generated using both addition and multiplication. We restrict ourselves to the case where the addition is uniformly random and multiplication is arbitrary. We first…

A discrete-time Markov chain can be transformed into a new Markov chain by looking at its states along iterations of an almost surely finite stopping time. By the optional stopping theorem, any bounded harmonic function with respect to the…

Consider a Markov chain $\{X_n\}_{n\ge 0}$ with an ergodic probability measure $\pi$. Let $\Psi$ a function on the state space of the chain, with $\alpha$-tails with respect to $\pi$, $\alpha\in (0,2)$. We find sufficient conditions on the…

Renyi's "thinning" operation on a discrete random variable is a natural discrete analog of the scaling operation for continuous random variables. The properties of thinning are investigated in an information-theoretic context, especially in…

Convergence diagnosis for Markov chain Monte Carlo is a matter of fundamental importance in computational statistics: it determines the resources allocated to a particular sampling problem and influences the practitioner's view of the…

We prove a strong law of large numbers for a class of strongly mixing processes. Our result rests on recent advances in understanding of concentration of measure. It is simple to apply and gives finite-sample (as opposed to asymptotic)…

Consider Bernoulli(1/2) percolation on $\mathbb{Z}^d$, and define a perfect matching between open and closed vertices in a way that is a deterministic equivariant function of the configuration. We want to find such matching rules that make…

Using techniques from Poisson approximation, we prove explicit error bounds on the number of permutations that avoid any pattern. Most generally, we bound the total variation distance between the joint distribution of pattern occurrences…