We establish large deviation principles and phase transition results for both quenched and annealed settings of nearest-neighbor random walks with constant drift in random nonnegative potentials on $\mathbb Z^d$. We complement the analysis of \cite{Zer}, where a shape theorem on the Lyapunov functions and a large deviation principle in absence of the drift are achieved for the quenched setting.
We consider the simple random walk in i.i.d. nonnegative potentials on the multidimensional cubic lattice. Our goal is to investigate the cost paid by the simple random walk for traveling from the origin to a remote location in a landscape of potentials. In particular, we obtain concentration inequalities for the travel cost in unbounded nonnegative potentials.
We obtain a large deviations principle for the self-intersection local times for a symmetric random walk in dimension d>4. As an application, we obtain moderate deviations for random walk in random sceneries in some region of parameters.
We consider real-valued branching random walks and prove a large deviation result for the position of the rightmost particle. The position of the rightmost particle is the maximum of a collection of a random number of dependent random walks. We characterise the rate function as the solution of a variational problem. We consider the same random number of independent random walks, and show that the maximum of the branching random walk is dominated by the maximum of the independent random walks. For the maximum of independent random walks, we derive a large deviation principle as well. It turns o…
We consider the branching random walk drifting to $-\infty$ and we investigate large deviations-type estimates for the first passage time. We prove the corresponding law of large numbers and the central limit theorem.
Record numbers are basic statistics in random walks, whose deviation principles are not very clear so far. In this paper, the asymptotic probabilities of large and moderate deviations for numbers of weak records in right continuous or left continuous random walks are proved.
We derive Donsker-Vardhan type results for functionals of the occupation times when the underlying random walk on $\mathbb Z^d$ is in the domain of attraction of an operator-stable law on $\mathbb R^d$. Applications to random walks on wreath products (also known as lamplighter groups) are given.
In this paper, we establish the invariance principle and the large deviation for the biased random walk $RW_λ$ with $λ\in [0,1)$ on $\mathbb{Z}^d, d\geq 1$.
We study one-dimensional nearest neighbour random walk in site-random environment. We establish precise (sharp) large deviations in the so-called ballistic regime, when the random walk drifts to the right with linear speed. In the sub-ballistic regime, when the speed is sublinear, we describe the precise probability of slowdown.
Given a symmetric random walk in $Z^2$ with finite second moments, let $R_n$ be the range of the random walk up to time $n$. We study moderate deviations for $R_n -E R_n$ and $E R_n -R_n$. We also derive the corresponding laws of the iterated logarithm.
In this paper, we consider the linearly reinforced and the once-reinforced random walk models in the transient phase on trees. We show the large deviations for the upper tails for both models. We also show the exponential decay for the lower tail in the once-reinforced random walk model. On the other hand, the lower tail is in polynomial decay for the linearly reinforced random walk model.
We consider the small deviation probability for random walk with time-inhomogeneous random environment. Compared with the result in Mogul'ski\uı (1974) for the i.i.d. random walk, the rate is smaller (due to the random environment), which is specified in terms of the quenched and annealed variance.
We obtain large deviations estimates for the self-intersection local times for a symmetric random walk in dimension 3. Also, we show that the main contribution to making the self-intersection large, in a time period of length $n$, comes from sites visited less than some power of $\log(n)$. This is opposite to the situation in dimensions larger or equal to 5. Finally, we present two applications of our estimates: (i) to moderate deviations estimates for the range of a random walk, and (ii) to moderate deviations for random walk in random sceneries.
It is well-known that large deviations of random walks driven by independent and identically distributed heavy-tailed random variables are governed by the so-called principle of one large jump. We note that further subtleties hold for such random walks in the large deviation scale which we call hidden large deviation. We apply this idea in the context of queueing processes with heavy-tailed service times and study approximations of severe congestion times for (buffered) queues. We conclude with simulated examples to verify our results.
We study large deviations for random walks on Lie groups defined by $σ_n^n = \exp(\frac1nX_1)\cdots\exp(\frac1nX_n)$, where $\{X_n\}_{n\geq1}$ is an i.i.d sequence of bounded random variables in the Lie algebra $\mathfrak{g}$. We follow a similar approach as in the proof of large deviations for geodesic random walks as given in [Ver19]. This approach makes it possible to simply rescale the increments of the random walk, without having to resort to dilations in order to reduce the influence of higher order commutators. Finally, we will apply this large deviation result to the Lie group of stoch…
Let $A_kA_{k-1}\cdots A_1$ be product of some nonnegative 2-by-2 matrices. In general, its elements are hard to evaluate. Under some conditions, we show that $\forall i,j\in\{1,2\},$ $(A_kA_{k-1}\cdots A_1)_{i,j}\sim c\varrho(A_k)\varrho(A_{k-1})\cdots \varrho(A_1)$ as $k\rightarrow\infty,$ where $\varrho(A_n)$ is the spectral radius of the matrix $A_n$ and $c\in(0,\infty)$ is some constant, so that the elements of $A_kA_{k-1}\cdots A_1$ can be estimated. As applications, consider the maxima of certain excursions of (2,1) and (1,2) random walks with asymptotically zero drifts. We get some deli…
We study the large deviations of one-dimensional excited random walks. We prove a large deviation principle for both the hitting times and the position of the random walk and give a qualitative description of the respective rate functions. When the excited random walk is transient with positive speed $v_0$, then the large deviation rate function for the position of the excited random walk is zero on the interval $[0,v_0]$ and so probabilities such as $P(X_n < nv)$ for $v \in (0,v_0)$ decay subexponentially. We show that rate of decay for such slowdown probabilities is polynomial of the order $…
We consider a bounded step size random walk in an ergodic random environment with some ellipticity, on an integer lattice of arbitrary dimension. We prove a level 3 large deviation principle, under almost every environment, with rate function related to a relative entropy.
We obtain sharp upper and lower bounds for the moderate deviations of the volume of the range of a random walk in dimension five and larger. Our results encompass two regimes: a Gaussian regime for small deviations, and a stretched exponential regime for larger deviations. In the latter regime, we show that conditioned on the moderate deviations event, the walk folds a small part of its range in a ball-like subset. Also, we provide new path properties, in dimension three as well. Besides the key role Newtonian capacity plays in this study, we introduce two original ideas, of general interest, …
We consider random walks on the nonnegative integers in a space-time dependent random environment. We assume that transition probabilities are given by independent $\mathrm{Beta}(μ,μ)$ distributed random variables, with a specific behaviour at the boundary, controlled by an extra parameter $η$. We show that this model is exactly solvable and prove a formula for the mixed moments of the random heat kernel. We then provide two formulas that allow us to study the large-scale behaviour. The first involves a Fredholm Pfaffian, which we use to prove a local limit theorem describing how the boundary …
We study downward deviations of the boundary of the range of a transient walk on the Euclidean lattice. We describe the optimal strategy adopted by the walk in order to shrink the boundary of its range. The technics we develop apply equally well to the range, and provide pathwise statements for the {\it Swiss cheese} picture of Bolthausen, van den Berg and den Hollander \cite{BBH}.
We consider a $\mathbb{R}^d$-valued branching random walk with a stationary and ergodic environment $ξ=(ξ_n)$ indexed by time $n\in\mathbb{N}$. Let $Z_n$ be the counting measure of particles of generation $n$. With the help of the uniform convergence of martingale and the multifractal analysis, we establish a large deviation result for the measures $Z_n$ as well as a moderate deviation principle.
We consider a random walk in a random environment (RWRE) on the strip of finite width $\mathbb{Z} \times \{1,2,\ldots,d\}$. We prove both quenched and averaged large deviation principles for the position and the hitting times of the RWRE. Moreover, we prove a variational formula that relates the quenched and averaged rate functions, thus extending a result of Comets, Gantert, and Zeitouni for nearest-neighbor RWRE on $\mathbb{Z}$
We derive properties of the rate function in Varadhan's (annealed) large deviation principle for multidimensional, ballistic random walk in random environment, in a certain neighborhood of the zero set of the rate function. Our approach relates the LDP to that of regeneration times and distances. The analysis of the latter is possible due to the i.i.d. structure of regenerations.
Let $X$ be a Lévy process with regularly varying Lévy measure $ν$. We obtain sample-path large deviations for scaled processes $\bar X_n(t) \triangleq X(nt)/n$ and obtain a similar result for random walks. Our results yield detailed asymptotic estimates in scenarios where multiple big jumps in the increment are required to make a rare event happen; we illustrate this through detailed conditional limit theorems. In addition, we investigate connections with the classical large deviations framework. In that setting, we show that a weak large deviation principle (with logarithmic speed) holds, but…
Using martingale methods, we obtain some upper bounds for large and moderate deviations of products of independent and identically distributed elements of GL d (R). We investigate all the possible moment conditions, from super-exponential moments to weak moments of order p \textgreater{} 1, to get a complete picture of the situation. We also prove a moderate deviation principle under an appropriate tail condition.
Let B_n be the number of self-intersections of a symmetric random walk with finite second moments in the integer planar lattice. We obtain moderate deviation estimates for B_n - E B_n and E B_n- B_n, which are given in terms of the best constant of a certain Gagliardo-Nirenberg inequality. We also prove the corresponding laws of the iterated logarithm.
Our model is a constrained homogeneous random walk in a nonnegative orthant Z_+^d. The convergence to stationarity for such a random walk can often be checked by constructing a Lyapunov function. The same Lyapunov function can also be used for computing approximately the stationary distribution of this random walk, using methods developed by Meyn and Tweedie. In this paper we show that, for this type of random walks, computing the stationary probability exactly is an undecidable problem: no algorithm can exist to achieve this task. We then prove that computing large deviation rates for this mo…
Let $(X_t,t\geq 0)$ be a random walk on $\mathbb{Z}^d$. Let $ l_T(x)= \int_0^T δ_x(X_s)ds$ the local time at the state $x$ and $ I_T= \sum\limits_{x\in\mathbb{Z}^d} l_T(x)^q $ the q-fold self-intersection local time (SILT). In \cite{Castell} Castell proves a large deviations principle for the SILT of the simple random walk in the critical case $q(d-2)=d$. In the supercritical case $q(d-2)>d$, Chen and Mörters obtain in \cite{ChenMorters} a large deviations principle for the intersection of $q$ independent random walks, and Asselah obtains in \cite{Asselah5} a large deviations principle for the…
We consider matrices whose elements enumerate weights of walks in planar directed weighted graphs (not necessarily acyclic). These matrices are totally nonnegative; more precisely, all their minors are formal power series in edge weights with nonnegative coefficients. A combinatorial explanation of this phenomenon involves loop-erased walks. Applications include total positivity of hitting matrices of Brownian motion in planar domains.
Consider a random walk in a time-dependent random environment on the lattice Zd. Recently, Rassoul-Agha, Seppalainen and Yilmaz [RSY11] proved a general large deviation principle under mild ergodicity assumptions on the random environment for such a random walk, establishing first level 2 and 3 large deviation principles. Here we present two alternative short proofs of the level 1 large deviations under mild ergodicity assumptions on the environment: one for the continuous time case and another one for the discrete time case. Both proofs provide the existence, continuity and convexity of the…
In this article, we consider a branching random walk on the real-line where displacements coming from the same parent have jointly regularly varying tails. The genealogical structure is assumed to be a supercritical Galton-Watson tree, satisfying Kesten-Stigum condition. We study the large deviations of the extremal process, formed by the appropriately normalized positions in the $n$-th generation and show that the large extreme-positions form clusters in the limit. As a consequence of this, we also study the large deviations of the maximum among positions at the $n$-th generation.
We study quenched distributions on random walks in a random potential on integer lattices of arbitrary dimension and with an arbitrary finite set of admissible steps. The potential can be unbounded and can depend on a few steps of the walk. Directed, undirected and stretched polymers, as well as random walk in random environment, are covered. The restriction needed is on the moment of the potential, in relation to the degree of mixing of the ergodic environment. We derive two variational formulas for the limiting quenched free energy and prove a process-level quenched large deviation principle…
We investigate random walks in independent, identically distributed random sceneries under the assumption that the scenery variables satisfy Cramer's condition. We prove moderate deviation principles in dimensions two and larger, covering all those regimes where rate and speed do not depend on the actual distribution of the scenery. In the case of dimension four and larger we even obtain precise asymptotics for the annealed probability of a moderate deviation, extending a classical central limit theorem of Kesten and Spitzer. In dimension three and larger, an important ingredient in the proofs…
Consider a random walk in random environment on a supercritical Galton--Watson tree, and let $τ_n$ be the hitting time of generation $n$. The paper presents a large deviation principle for $τ_n/n$, both in quenched and annealed cases. Then we investigate the subexponential situation, revealing a polynomial regime similar to the one encountered in one dimension. The paper heavily relies on estimates on the tail distribution of the first regeneration time.
We study sample-path large deviations for Lévy processes and random walks with heavy-tailed jump-size distributions that are of Weibull type. Our main results include an extended form of an LDP (large deviations principle) in the $J_1$ topology, and a full LDP in the $M_1'$ topology. The rate function can be represented as the solution to a quasi-variational problem. The sharpness and applicability of these results are illustrated by a counterexample proving the nonexistence of a full LDP in the $J_1$ topology, and by an application to a first passage problem.
In this paper, we are interested in some questions of Greven and den Hollander about the rate function $I\_η^q$ of quenched large deviations for random walk in random environment. By studying the hitting times of RWRE, we prove that in the recurrent case, $\lim\_{θ\to 0^+}(I\_η^q)''(θ)=+\infty$, which gives an affirmative answer to a conjecture of Greven and den Hollander. We also establish a comparison result between the rate function of quenched large deviations for a diffusion in a drifted Brownian potential, and the rate function for a drifted Brownian motion with the same speed.
We show quenched large deviations for the simple random walk on a certain class of percolations with long-range correlations. This class contains the supercritical Bernoulli percolations, the model considered by Drewitz, R'ath and Sapozhnikov and the random-cluster model up to the slab critical point. Our result is an extension of Kubota's result for the supercritical Bernoulli percolations. We also state a shape theorem for the chemical distance, which is an extension of Garet and Marchand's result for the supercritical Bernoulli percolations.
We obtain estimates for large and moderate deviations for the capacity of the range of a random walk on $\mathbb{Z}^d$, in dimension $d\ge 5$, both in the upward and downward directions. The results are analogous to those we obtained for the volume of the range in two companion papers [AS17, AS19]. Interestingly, the main steps of the strategy we developed for the latter apply in this seemingly different setting, yet the details of the analysis are different
We consider a branching random walk on $\mathbb{R}$ with a stationary and ergodic environment $ξ=(ξ_n)$ indexed by time $n\in\mathbb{N}$. Let $Z_n$ be the counting measure of particles of generation $n$ and $\tilde Z_n(t)=\int e^{tx}Z_n(dx)$ be its Laplace transform. We show the $L^p$ convergence rate and the uniform convergence of the martingale $\tilde Z_n(t)/\mathbb E[\tilde Z_n(t)|ξ]$, and establish a moderate deviation principle for the measures $Z_n$.
We establish, under the Cramer exponential moment condition in a neighbourhood of zero, the Extended Large Deviation Principle for the Random Walk and the Compound Poisson processes in the metric space $\V$ of functions of finite variation on $[0,\infty)$ with the modified Borovkov metric $\r(f,g)= \r_\B(\hat{f},\hat{g}) $, where $ \hat f(t)= f(t)/(1+t)$, $t\in \R$, and $\r_\B$ is the Borovkov metric. LDP in this space is "more precise" than that with the usual metric of uniform convergence on compacts.
We consider a random walk in random environment with random holding times, that is, the random walk jumping to one of its nearest neighbors with some transition probability after a random holding time. Both the transition probabilities and the laws of the holding times are randomly distributed over the integer lattice. Our main result is a quenched large deviation principle for the position of the random walk. The rate function is given by the Legendre transform of the so-called Lyapunov exponents for the Laplace transform of the first passage time. By using this representation, we derive some…
Let S_1(n),...,S_p(n) be independent symmetric random walks in Z^d. We establish moderate deviations and law of the iterated logarithm for the intersection of the ranges #{S_1[0,n]\cap... \cap S_p[0,n]} in the case d=2, p\ge 2 and the case d=3, p=2.
We study the upper tail behaviors of the local times of the additive Lévy processes and additive random walks. The limit forms we establish are the moderate deviations and the laws of the iterated logarithm for the L_2-norms of the local times and for the local times at a fixed site.
Random walk in a dynamic i.i.d. beta random environment, conditioned to escape at an atypical velocity, converges to a Doob transform of the original walk. The Doob-transformed environment is correlated in time, i.i.d. in space, and its marginal density function is a product of a beta density and a hypergeometric function. Under its averaged distribution the transformed walk obeys the wandering exponent 2/3 that agrees with Kardar-Parisi-Zhang universality. The harmonic function in the Doob transform comes from a Busemann-type limit and appears as an extremal in a variational problem for the q…
We consider large deviations for nearest-neighbor random walk in a uniformly elliptic i.i.d. environment. It is easy to see that the quenched and the averaged rate functions are not identically equal. When the dimension is at least four and Sznitman's transience condition (T) is satisfied, we prove that these rate functions are finite and equal on a closed set whose interior contains every nonzero velocity at which the rate functions vanish.
We prove large deviation results for the position of the rightmost particle, denoted by $M_n$, in a one-dimensional branching random walk in a case when Cramér's condition is not satisfied. More precisely we consider step size distributions with stretched exponential upper and lower tails, i.e.~both tails decay as $e^{-|t|^r}$ for some $r\in( 0,1)$. It is known that in this case, $M_n$ grows as $n^{1/r}$ and in particular faster than linearly in $n$. Our main result is a large deviation principle for the laws of $n^{-1/r}M_n$ . In the proof we use a comparison with the maximum of (a random num…
Given a super-critical branching random walk on $\mathbb R$ started from the origin, let $M_n$ be the maximal position of individuals at the $n$-th generation. Under some mild conditions, it is known from \cite{A13} that as $n\rightarrow\infty$, $M_n-x^*n+\frac{3}{2θ^*}\log n$ converges in law for some suitable constants $x^*$ and $θ^*$. In this work, we investigate its moderate deviation, in other words, the convergence rates of $$\mathbb{P}\left(M_n\leq x^*n-\frac{3}{2θ^*}\log n-\ell_n\right),$$ for any positive sequence $(\ell_n)$ such that $\ell_n=O(n)$ and $\ell_n\uparrow\infty$. As a by-…
