Random Walks and Geometry


Book Description

Die jüngsten Entwicklungen zeigen, dass sich Wahrscheinlichkeitsverfahren zu einem sehr wirkungsvollen Werkzeug entwickelt haben, und das auf so unterschiedlichen Gebieten wie statistische Physik, dynamische Systeme, Riemann'sche Geometrie, Gruppentheorie, harmonische Analyse, Graphentheorie und Informatik.




Combinatorial and Computational Geometry


Book Description

This 2005 book deals with interest topics in Discrete and Algorithmic aspects of Geometry.




Random Walks on Infinite Graphs and Groups


Book Description

The main theme of this book is the interplay between the behaviour of a class of stochastic processes (random walks) and discrete structure theory. The author considers Markov chains whose state space is equipped with the structure of an infinite, locally finite graph, or as a particular case, of a finitely generated group. The transition probabilities are assumed to be adapted to the underlying structure in some way that must be specified precisely in each case. From the probabilistic viewpoint, the question is what impact the particular type of structure has on various aspects of the behaviour of the random walk. Vice-versa, random walks may also be seen as useful tools for classifying, or at least describing the structure of graphs and groups. Links with spectral theory and discrete potential theory are also discussed. This book will be essential reading for all researchers working in stochastic process and related topics.




Topics in Groups and Geometry


Book Description

This book provides a detailed exposition of a wide range of topics in geometric group theory, inspired by Gromov’s pivotal work in the 1980s. It includes classical theorems on nilpotent groups and solvable groups, a fundamental study of the growth of groups, a detailed look at asymptotic cones, and a discussion of related subjects including filters and ultrafilters, dimension theory, hyperbolic geometry, amenability, the Burnside problem, and random walks on groups. The results are unified under the common theme of Gromov’s theorem, namely that finitely generated groups of polynomial growth are virtually nilpotent. This beautiful result gave birth to a fascinating new area of research which is still active today. The purpose of the book is to collect these naturally related results together in one place, most of which are scattered throughout the literature, some of them appearing here in book form for the first time. In this way, the connections between these topics are revealed, providing a pleasant introduction to geometric group theory based on ideas surrounding Gromov's theorem. The book will be of interest to mature undergraduate and graduate students in mathematics who are familiar with basic group theory and topology, and who wish to learn more about geometric, analytic, and probabilistic aspects of infinite groups.




The Random Walks of George Polya


Book Description

Both a biography of Plya's life, and a review of his many mathematical achievements by today's experts.




Planar Maps, Random Walks and Circle Packing


Book Description

This open access book focuses on the interplay between random walks on planar maps and Koebe’s circle packing theorem. Further topics covered include electric networks, the He–Schramm theorem on infinite circle packings, uniform spanning trees of planar maps, local limits of finite planar maps and the almost sure recurrence of simple random walks on these limits. One of its main goals is to present a self-contained proof that the uniform infinite planar triangulation (UIPT) is almost surely recurrent. Full proofs of all statements are provided. A planar map is a graph that can be drawn in the plane without crossing edges, together with a specification of the cyclic ordering of the edges incident to each vertex. One widely applicable method of drawing planar graphs is given by Koebe’s circle packing theorem (1936). Various geometric properties of these drawings, such as existence of accumulation points and bounds on the radii, encode important probabilistic information, such as the recurrence/transience of simple random walks and connectivity of the uniform spanning forest. This deep connection is especially fruitful to the study of random planar maps. The book is aimed at researchers and graduate students in mathematics and is suitable for a single-semester course; only a basic knowledge of graduate level probability theory is assumed.




A Random Walk Through Fractal Dimensions


Book Description

Fractal geometry is revolutionizing the descriptive mathematics of applied materials systems. Rather than presenting a mathematical treatise, Brian Kaye demonstrates the power of fractal geometry in describing materials ranging from Swiss cheese to pyrolytic graphite. Written from a practical point of view, the author assiduously avoids the use of equations while introducing the reader to numerous interesting and challenging problems in subject areas ranging from geography to fine particle science. The second edition of this successful book provides up-to-date literature coverage of the use of fractal geometry in all areas of science. From reviews of the first edition: "...no stone is left unturned in the quest for applications of fractal geometry to fine particle problems....This book should provide hours of enjoyable reading to those wishing to become acquainted with the ideas of fractal geometry as applied to practical materials problems." MRS Bulletin




Random Walks and Heat Kernels on Graphs


Book Description

Useful but hard-to-find results enrich this introduction to the analytic study of random walks on infinite graphs.




Intersections of Random Walks


Book Description

A central study in Probability Theory is the behavior of fluctuation phenomena of partial sums of different types of random variable. One of the most useful concepts for this purpose is that of the random walk which has applications in many areas, particularly in statistical physics and statistical chemistry. Originally published in 1991, Intersections of Random Walks focuses on and explores a number of problems dealing primarily with the nonintersection of random walks and the self-avoiding walk. Many of these problems arise in studying statistical physics and other critical phenomena. Topics include: discrete harmonic measure, including an introduction to diffusion limited aggregation (DLA); the probability that independent random walks do not intersect; and properties of walks without self-intersections. The present softcover reprint includes corrections and addenda from the 1996 printing, and makes this classic monograph available to a wider audience. With a self-contained introduction to the properties of simple random walks, and an emphasis on rigorous results, the book will be useful to researchers in probability and statistical physics and to graduate students interested in basic properties of random walks.




Asymptotic Analysis of Random Walks


Book Description

This is a companion book to Asymptotic Analysis of Random Walks: Heavy-Tailed Distributions by A.A. Borovkov and K.A. Borovkov. Its self-contained systematic exposition provides a highly useful resource for academic researchers and professionals interested in applications of probability in statistics, ruin theory, and queuing theory. The large deviation principle for random walks was first established by the author in 1967, under the restrictive condition that the distribution tails decay faster than exponentially. (A close assertion was proved by S.R.S. Varadhan in 1966, but only in a rather special case.) Since then, the principle has always been treated in the literature only under this condition. Recently, the author jointly with A.A. Mogul'skii removed this restriction, finding a natural metric for which the large deviation principle for random walks holds without any conditions. This new version is presented in the book, as well as a new approach to studying large deviations in boundary crossing problems. Many results presented in the book, obtained by the author himself or jointly with co-authors, are appearing in a monograph for the first time.