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For $N\in\mathbb{N}$, let $\pi_N$ be the law of the number of fixed points of a random permutation of $\{1, 2, ..., N\}$. Let $\mathcal{P}$ be a Poisson law of parameter 1.A classical result shows that $\pi_N$ converges to $\mathcal{P}$ for…
Analyses of serially-sampled data often begin with the assumption that the observations represent discrete samples from a latent continuous-time stochastic process. The continuous-time Markov chain (CTMC) is one such generative model whose…
Many classical randomized algorithms (e.g., approximation algorithms for #P-complete problems) utilize the following random walk algorithm for {\em almost uniform sampling} from a state space $S$ of cardinality $N$: run a symmetric ergodic…
Transition Path Theory (TPT) provides a rigorous statistical characterization of the ensemble of trajectories connecting directly, i.e., without detours, two disconnected (sets of) states in a Markov chain, a stochastic process that…
We survey existing techniques to bound the mixing time of Markov chains. The mixing time is related to a geometric parameter called conductance which is a measure of edge-expansion. Bounds on conductance are typically obtained by 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…
Sampling from the stationary distribution is one of the fundamental tasks of Markov chain-based algorithms and has important applications in machine learning, combinatorial optimization and network science. For the quantum case, qsampling…
In this paper we develop a general framework for constructing and analysing coupled Markov chain Monte Carlo samplers, allowing for both (possibly degenerate) diffusion and piecewise deterministic Markov processes. For many performance…
This paper is concerned with elucidating a relationship between two common coupling methods for the continuous time Markov chain models utilized in the cell biology literature. The couplings considered here are primarily used in a…
Accurate and efficient estimation of rare events probabilities is of significant importance, since often the occurrences of such events have widespread impacts. The focus in this work is on precisely quantifying these probabilities, often…
We study the optimal transport problem for pairs of stationary finite-state Markov chains, with an emphasis on the computation of optimal transition couplings. Transition couplings are a constrained family of transport plans that capture…
We study the problem of sequentially testing whether a given stochastic process is generated by a known Markov chain. Formally, given access to a stream of random variables, we want to quickly determine whether this sequence is a trajectory…
State aggregation is a popular model reduction method rooted in optimal control. It reduces the complexity of engineering systems by mapping the system's states into a small number of meta-states. The choice of aggregation map often depends…
Markov chains have long been used for generating random variates from spatial point processes. Broadly speaking, these chains fall into two categories: Metropolis-Hastings type chains running in discrete time and spatial birth-death chains…
The problem of sampling from the stationary distribution of a Markov chain finds widespread applications in a variety of fields. The time required for a Markov chain to converge to its stationary distribution is known as the classical…
Markov chains are one of the well-known tools for modeling and analyzing stochastic systems. At the same time, they are used for constructing random walks that can achieve a given stationary distribution. This paper is concerned with…
Many problems of practical interest rely on Continuous-time Markov chains~(CTMCs) defined over combinatorial state spaces, rendering the computation of transition probabilities, and hence probabilistic inference, difficult or impossible…
In this paper, we show how to use stochastic approximation to compute hitting time of a stochastic process, based on the study of the time for a fluid approximation of this process to be at distance 1/N of its fixed point. This approach is…
We study time-changed Markov processes to speed up the convergence of Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithms. The time-changed process is defined by adjusting the speed of time of a base process via a user-chosen, state-dependent…
Coupling is a widely used technique in the theoretical study of interacting stochastic processes. In this paper I present an example demonstrating its usefulness also in the efficient computer simulation of such processes. I first describe…