It is shown that statistics of records for time series generated by random walks are independent of the details of the jump distribution, as long as the latter is continuous and symmetric. In N steps, the mean of the record distribution grows as the sqrt(4N/pi) while the standard deviation grows as sqrt((2-4/pi) N), so the distribution is non-self-averaging. The mean shortest and longest duration records grow as sqrt(N/pi) and 0.626508... N, respectively. The case of a discrete random walker is also studied, and similar asymptotic behavior is found.
Lévy flights and Lévy walks serve as two paradigms of random walks resembling common features but also bearing fundamental differences. One of the main dissimilarities are discontinuity versus continuity of their trajectories and infinite versus finite propagation velocity. In consequence, well developed theory of Lévy flights is associated with their pathological physical properties, which in turn are resolved by the concept of Lévy walks. Here, we explore Lévy flights and Lévy walks models on bounded domains examining their differences and analogies. We investigate analytically and numerical…
In this paper we are examining diffusion properties of stationary continuous-time Weierstrass walk (CTWW). We are showing it is a multi-phase representation of the Lévy walk. The hierarchical spatial-temporal coupling, combined with coupling between dynamic variables define the CTWW process. The walker moves here with a piecewise constant velocity between trajectory turning points. We have found the diffusion phase diagram of the CTWW consisting not only of anomalous non-Gaussian or non-fBm phases but also Brownian yet non-Gaussian ones. We compare the diffusion phase diagram of the stationary…
Recent works have explored the properties of Lévy flights with resetting in one-dimensional domains and have reported the existence of phase transitions in the phase space of parameters which minimizes the Mean First Passage Time (MFPT) through the origin [Phys. Rev. Lett. 113, 220602 (2014)]. Here we show how actually an interesting dynamics, including also phase transitions for the minimization of the MFPT, can also be obtained without invoking the use of Lévy statistics but for the simpler case of random walks with exponentially distributed flights of constant speed. We explore this dynamic…
The spectral theory of random walks on networks of arbitrary topology can be readily extended to study random walks and Lévy flights subject to resetting on these structures. When a discrete-time process is stochastically brought back from time to time to its starting node, the mean search time needed to reach another node of the network may be significantly decreased. In other cases, however, resetting is detrimental to search. Using the eigenvalues and eigenvectors of the transition matrix defining the process without resetting, we derive a general criterion for finite networks that establis…
In these lecture notes I will discuss the universal first-passage properties of a simple correlated discrete-time sequence {x_0=0, x_1,x_2.... x_n} up to n steps where x_i represents the position at step i of a random walker hopping on a continuous line by drawing independently, at each time step, a random jump length from an arbitrary symmetric and continuous distribution (it includes, e.g., the Levy flights). I will focus on the statistics of two extreme observables associated with the sequence: (i) its global maximum and the time step at which the maximum occurs and (ii) the number of recor…
We consider a one-dimensional random walk (RW) with a continuous and symmetric jump distribution, $f(η)$, characterized by a Lévy index $μ\in (0,2]$, which includes standard random walks ($μ=2$) and Lévy flights ($0<μ<2$). We study the survival probability, $q(x_0,n)$, representing the probability that the RW stays non-negative up to step $n$, starting initially at $x_0 \geq 0$. Our main focus is on the $x_0$-dependence of $q(x_0,n)$ for large $n$. We show that $q(x_0,n)$ displays two distinct regimes as $x_0$ varies: (i) for $x_0= O(1)$ ("quantum regime"), the discreteness of the jump process…
We study Markovian continuous-time random walk models for Lévy flights and we show an example in which the convergence to stable densities is not guaranteed when jumps follow a bi-modal power-law distribution that is equal to zero in zero. The significance of this result is two-fold: i) with regard to the probabilistic derivation of the fractional diffusion equation and also ii) with regard to the concept of site fidelity in the framework of Lévy-like motion for wild animals.
We perform a thorough analysis of the survival probability of symmetric random walks with stochastic resetting, defined as the probability for the walker not to cross the origin up to time $n$. For continuous symmetric distributions of step lengths with either finite (random walks) or infinite variance (Lévy flights), this probability can be expressed in terms of the survival probability of the walk without resetting, given by Sparre Andersen theory. It is therefore universal, i.e., independent of the step length distribution. We analyze this survival probability at depth, deriving both exact …
Using data on the Berlin public transport network, the present study extends previous observations of fractality within public transport routes by showing that also the distribution of inter-station distances along routes displays non-trivial power law behaviour. This indicates that the routes may in part also be described as Lévy-flights. The latter property may result from the fact that the routes are planned to adapt to fluctuating demand densities throughout the served area. We also relate this to optimization properties of Lévy flights.
A Levy walk is a non-Markovian stochastic process in which the elementary steps of the walker consist of motion with constant speed in randomly chosen directions and for a random period of time. The time of flight is chosen from a long-tailed distribution with a finite mean but an infinite variance. Here we consider an open system with boundary injection and removal of particles, at prescribed rates, and study the steady state properties of the system. In particular, we compute density profiles, current and current fluctuations in this system. We also consider the case of a finite density of L…
We consider a particle performing a stochastic motion on a one-dimensional lattice with jump widths distributed according to a power-law with exponent $μ+ 1$. Assuming that the walker moves in the presence of a distribution $a(x)$ of targets (traps) depending on the spatial coordinate $x$, we study the probability that the walker will eventually find any target (will eventually be trapped). We focus on the case of power-law distributions $a(x) \sim x^{-α}$ and we find that as long as $μ< α$ there is a finite probability that the walker will never be trapped, no matter how long the process is. …
We introduce a method to exactly generate bridge trajectories for discrete-time random walks, with arbitrary jump distributions, that are constrained to initially start at the origin and return to the origin after a fixed time. The method is based on an effective jump distribution that implicitly accounts for the bridge constraint. It is illustrated on various jump distributions and is shown to be very efficient in practice. In addition, we show how to generalize the method to other types of constrained random walks such as generalized bridges, excursions, and meanders.
We employed the method of virial expansion in order to compute the retarded density correlation function (generalized diffusion propagator) in the critical random matrix ensemble in the limit of strong multifractality. We found that the long-range nature of the Hamiltonian is a common root of both multifractality and Levy flights which show up in the power-law intermediate- and long-distance behavior, respectively, of the density correlation function. We review certain models of classical random walks on fractals and show the similarity of the density correlation function in them to that for t…
The statistics of records for a time series generated by a continuous time random walk is studied, and found to be independent of the details of the jump length distribution, as long as the latter is continuous and symmetric. However, the statistics depend crucially on the nature of the waiting time distribution. The probability of finding M records within a given time duration t, for large t, has a scaling form, and the exact scaling function is obtained in terms of the one-sided Levy stable law. The mean of the ages of the records, defined as <t/M>, differs from t/<M>. The asymptotic behavio…
For both Levy flight and Levy walk search processes we analyse the full distribution of first-passage and first-hitting (or first-arrival) times. These are, respectively, the times when the particle moves across a point at some given distance from its initial position for the first time, or when it lands at a given point for the first time. For Levy motions with their propensity for long relocation events and thus the possibility to jump across a given point in space without actually hitting it ("leapovers"), these two definitions lead to significantly different results. We study the first-pas…
We review recent advances on the record statistics of strongly correlated time series, whose entries denote the positions of a random walk or a Lévy flight on a line. After a brief survey of the theory of records for independent and identically distributed random variables, we focus on random walks. During the last few years, it was indeed realized that random walks are a very useful "laboratory" to test the effects of correlations on the record statistics. We start with the simple one-dimensional random walk with symmetric jumps (both continuous and discrete) and discuss in detail the statist…
Cauchy's formula was originally established for random straight paths crossing a body $B \subset \mathbb{R}^{n}$ and basically relates the average chord length through $B$ to the ratio between the volume and the surface of the body itself. The original statement was later extended in the context of transport theory so as to cover the stochastic paths of Pearson random walks with exponentially distributed flight lengths traversing a bounded domain. Some heuristic arguments suggest that Cauchy's formula may also hold true for Pearson random walks with arbitrarily distributed flight lengths. For …
We study the statistics of increments in record values in a time series $\{x_0=0,x_1, x_2, \ldots, x_n\}$ generated by the positions of a random walk (discrete time, continuous space) of duration $n$ steps. For arbitrary jump length distribution, including Lévy flights, we show that the distribution of the record increment becomes stationary, i.e., independent of $n$ for large $n$, and compute it explicitly for a wide class of jump distributions. In addition, we compute exactly the probability $Q(n)$ that the record increments decrease monotonically up to step $n$. Remarkably, $Q(n)$ is univer…
The Lévy walk process for a lower interval of an excursion times distribution ($α<1$) is discussed. The particle rests between the jumps and the waiting time is position-dependent. Two cases are considered: a rising and diminishing waiting time rate $ν(x)$, which require different approximations of the master equation. The process comprises two phases of the motion: particles at rest and in flight. The density distributions for them are derived, as a solution of corresponding fractional equations. For strongly falling $ν(x)$, the resting particles density assumes the $α$-stable form (truncated…
We study the diffusive transport of Markovian random walks on arbitrary networks with stochastic resetting to multiple nodes. We deduce analytical expressions for the stationary occupation probability and for the mean and global first passage times. This general approach allows us to characterize the effect of resetting on the capacity of random walk strategies to reach a particular target or to explore the network. Our formalism holds for ergodic random walks and can be implemented from the spectral properties of the random walk without resetting, providing a tool to analyze the efficiency of…
We consider non-interacting particles (or lions) performing one-dimensional random walks or Lévy flights (with Lévy index $1 < μ\leq 2$) in the presence of a constant drift $c$. Initially these random walkers are uniformly distributed over the positive real line $z\geq 0$ with a density $ρ_0$. At the origin $z=0$ there is an immobile absorbing trap (or a lamb), such that when a particle crosses the origin, it gets absorbed there. Our main focus is on (i) the flux of particles $Φ_c(n)$ out of the system (the "Smoluchowski problem") and (ii) the survival probability $S_c(n)$ of the trap or lamb …
We study records generated by Brownian particles in one dimension. Specifically, we investigate an ordinary random walk and define the record as the maximal position of the walk. We compare the record of an individual random walk with the mean record, obtained as an average over infinitely many realizations. We term the walk "superior" if the record is always above average, and conversely, the walk is said to be "inferior" if the record is always below average. We find that the fraction of superior walks, S, decays algebraically with time, S ~ t^(-beta), in the limit t --> infty, and that the …
We study a class of random walk, the stored-energy-driven Lévy flight (SEDLF), whose jump length is determined by a stored energy during a trapped state. The SEDLF is a continuous-time random walk with jump lengths being coupled with the trapping times. It is analytically shown that the ensemble-averaged mean square displacements exhibit subdiffusion as well as superdiffusion, depending on the coupling parameter. We find that time-averaged mean square displacements increase linearly with time and the diffusion coefficients are intrinsically random, a manifestation of {\it distributional ergodi…
In this paper, we study the large $n$ asymptotics of the expected maximum of an $n$-step random walk/Lévy flight (characterized by a Lévy index $1<μ\leq 2$) on a line, in the presence of a constant drift $c$. For $0<μ\leq 1$, the expected maximum is infinite, even for finite values of $n$. For $1<μ\leq 2$, we obtain all the non-vanishing terms in the asymptotic expansion of the expected maximum for large $n$. For $c<0$ and $μ=2$, the expected maximum approaches a non-trivial constant as $n$ gets large, while for $1<μ< 2$, it grows as a power law $\sim n^{2-μ}$. For $c>0$, the asymptotic expans…
Branching random flights are key to describing the evolution of many physical and biological systems, ranging from neutron multiplication to gene mutations. When their paths evolve in bounded regions, we establish a relation between the properties of trajectories starting on the boundary and those starting inside the domain. Within this context, we show that the total length travelled by the walker and the number of performed collisions in bounded volumes can be assessed by resorting to the Feynman-Kac formalism. Other physical observables related to the branching trajectories, such as the sur…
The dynamics of the Hamiltonian mean field model is studied in the context of continuous time random walks. We show that the sojourn times in cells in the momentum space are well described by a Lévy truncated distribution. Consequently the system in weakly non-ergodic for long times that diverge with the number of particles. For a finite number of particles ergodicity is only attained for very long times both at thermodynamical equilibrium and at quasi-stationary out of equilibrium states.
For a broad class of random walks with anisotropic scattering kernel and absorption, we derive explicit formulas that allow expressing the moments of the collision number $n_V$ performed in a volume $V$ as a function of the particle equilibrium distribution. Our results apply to arbitrary domains $V$ and boundary conditions, and allow assessing the hitting statistics for systems where the typical displacements are comparable to the domain size, so that the diffusion limit is possibly not attained. An example is discussed for one-dimensional (1d) random flights with exponential displacements, w…
We consider super-diffusive Lévy walks in $d \geqslant 2$ dimensions when the duration of a single step, i.e., a ballistic motion performed by a walker, is governed by a power-law tailed distribution of infinite variance and finite mean. We demonstrate that the probability density function (PDF) of the coordinate of the random walker has two different scaling limits at large times. One limit describes the bulk of the PDF. It is the $d-$dimensional generalization of the one-dimensional Lévy distribution and is the counterpart of central limit theorem (CLT) for random walks with finite dispersio…
We introduce a formalism of fractional diffusion on networks based on a fractional Laplacian matrix that can be constructed directly from the eigenvalues and eigenvectors of the Laplacian matrix. This fractional approach allows random walks with long-range dynamics providing a general framework for anomalous diffusion and navigation, and inducing dynamically the small-world property on any network. We obtained exact results for the stationary probability distribution, the average fractional return probability and a global time, showing that the efficiency to navigate the network is greater if …
The characterization of record events is considered for a discrete-time random walk model with long-term memory arising from correlations between successive steps. An important feature is that the correlations are strong enough to give rise to super-diffusivity and transience. Various quantities related to record statistics are calculated exactly, highlighting important differences in behaviour from the simple random walk with independent steps.
We address the theory of records for integrated random walks with finite variance. The long-time continuum limit of these walks is a non-Markov process known as the random acceleration process or the integral of Brownian motion. In this limit, the renewal structure of the record process is the cornerstone for the analysis of its statistics. We thus obtain the analytical expressions of several characteristics of the process, notably the distribution of the total duration of record runs (sequences of consecutive records), which is the continuum analogue of the number of records of the integrated…
Many random transport phenomena, such as radiation propagation, chemical/biological species migration, or electron motion, can be described in terms of particles performing {\em exponential flights}. For such processes, we sketch a general approach (based on the Feynman-Kac formalism) that is amenable to explicit expressions for the moments of the number of collisions and the residence time that the walker spends in a given volume as a function of the particle equilibrium distribution. We then illustrate the proposed method in the case of the so-called {\em rod problem} (a 1d system), and disc…
The movement of organisms is subject to a multitude of influences of widely varying character: from the bio-mechanics of the individual, over the interaction with the complex environment many animals live in, to evolutionary pressure and energy constraints. As the number of factors is large, it is very hard to build comprehensive movement models. Even when movement patterns in simple environments are analysed, the organisms can display very complex behaviours. While for largely undirected motion or long observation times the dynamics can sometimes be described by isotropic random walks, usuall…
In this paper, we explore different Markovian random walk strategies on networks with transition probabilities between nodes defined in terms of functions of the Laplacian matrix. We generalize random walk strategies with local information in the Laplacian matrix, that describes the connections of a network, to a dynamics determined by functions of this matrix. The resulting processes are non-local allowing transitions of the random walker from one node to nodes beyond its nearest neighbors. We find that only two types of Laplacian functions are admissible with distinct behaviors for long-rang…
We investigate the statistics of three kinds of records associated with planar random walks, namely diagonal, simultaneous and radial records. The mean numbers of these records grow as universal power laws of time, with respective exponents 1/4, 1/3 and 1/2. The study of diagonal and simultaneous records relies on the underlying renewal structure of the successive hitting times and locations of translated copies of a fixed target. In this sense, this work represents a two-dimensional extension of the analysis made by Feller of ladder points, i.e., records for one-dimensional random walks. This…
We study the record statistics of random walks after $n$ steps, $x_0, x_1,\ldots, x_n$, with arbitrary symmetric and continuous distribution $p(η)$ of the jumps $η_i = x_i - x_{i-1}$. We consider the age of the records, i.e. the time up to which a record survives. Depending on how the age of the current last record is defined, we propose three distinct sequences of ages (indexed by $α$ = I, II, III) associated to a given sequence of records. We then focus on the longest lasting record, which is the longest element among this sequence of ages. To characterize the statistics of these longest las…
We revisit the statistics of extremes and records of symmetric random walks with stochastic resetting, extending earlier studies in several directions. We put forward a diffusive scaling regime (symmetric step length distribution with finite variance, weak resetting probability) where the maximum of the walk and the number of its records up to discrete time $n$ become asymptotically proportional to each other for single typical trajectories. Their distributions obey scaling laws ruled by a common two-parameter scaling function, interpolating between a half-Gaussian and a Gumbel law. The exact …
We compute exactly the mean number of records $\langle R_N \rangle$ for a time-series of size $N$ whose entries represent the positions of a discrete time random walker on the line. At each time step, the walker jumps by a length $η$ drawn independently from a symmetric and continuous distribution $f(η)$ with probability $1-r$ (with $0\leq r < 1$) and with the complementary probability $r$ it resets to its starting point $x=0$. This is an exactly solvable example of a weakly correlated time-series that interpolates between a strongly correlated random walk series (for $r=0$) and an uncorrelate…
The Lévy, jumping process, defined in terms of the jumping size distribution and the waiting time distribution, is considered. The jumping rate depends on the process value. The fractional diffusion equation, which contains the variable diffusion coefficient, is solved in the diffusion limit. That solution resolves itself to the stretched Gaussian when the order parameter $μ\to2$. The truncation of the Lévy flights, in the exponential and power-law form, is introduced and the corresponding random walk process is simulated by the Monte Carlo method. The stretched Gaussian tails are found in bot…
Properties of random and fluctuating systems are often studied through the use of Gaussian distributions. However, in a number of situations, rare events have drastic consequences, which can not be explained by Gaussian statistics. Considerable efforts have thus been devoted to the study of non Gaussian fluctuations such as Lévy statistics, generalizing the standard description of random walks. Unfortunately only macroscopic signatures, obtained by averaging over many random steps, are usually observed in physical systems. We present experimental results investigating the elementary process of…
The study of record statistics of correlated series is gaining momentum. In this work, we study the records statistics of the time series of select stock market data and the geometric random walk, primarily through simulations. We show that the distribution of the age of records is a power law with the exponent $α$ lying in the range $1.5 \le α\le 1.8$. Further, the longest record ages follow the Fréchet distribution of extreme value theory. The records statistics of geometric random walk series is in good agreement with that from the empirical stock data.
We study the statistics of the number of records $R_n$ for a symmetric, $n$-step, discrete jump process on a $1D$ lattice. At a given step, the walker can jump by arbitrary lattice units drawn from a given symmetric probability distribution. This process includes, as a special case, the standard nearest neighbor lattice random walk. We derive explicitly the generating function of the distribution $P(R_n)$ of the number of records, valid for arbitrary discrete jump distributions. As a byproduct, we provide a relatively simple proof of the generalized Sparre Andersen theorem for the survival pro…
The generalized correlation approach, which has been successfully used in statistical radio physics to describe non-Gaussian random processes, is proposed to describe stochastic financial processes. The generalized correlation approach has been used to describe a non-Gaussian random walk with independent, identically distributed increments in the general case, and high-order correlations have been investigated. The cumulants of an asymmetrically truncated Levy distribution have been found. The behaviors of asymmetrically truncated Levy flight, as a particular case of a random walk, are conside…
