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Sunday 23 August

Probability

Completely Positive Entropy and Fourier Central Limit Theorems for Stationary Random Measures

We prove an almost-everywhere Fourier central limit theorem for stationary random measures on $\bR^d$ with local second moments whose translation action is essentially free and has completely positive entropy. For the resulting almost-everywhere defined Bartlett density $s_\eta$, we show that there is a single $\lambda_d$-conull set of frequencies, independent of the test functions, on which finite collections of normalized smooth-window Fourier transforms converge jointly to proper complex Gaussian limits with covariance determined by $s_\eta$. No quantitative mixing, correlation-decay, or cumulant-summability assumption is imposed. For stationary point processes of positive intensity, the same good-frequency set yields Gaussian limits for ball-window Fourier transforms and exponential limits for their squared moduli. We also construct a stationary ergodic zero-entropy random measure with bounded continuous Bartlett density, positive $\lambda_1$-almost everywhere, for which the Fourier central limit theorem fails.
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Probability · Cross-listed from math.CO

Spanning trees in the Assignment Problem: two theorems and two conjectures

The Minimum Matching Problem consists of finding an independent edge set of minimum weight $M_{\star}(G)$ in a given edge-weighted graph $G$. When $G$ is bipartite, this reduces to the Assignment Problem. We consider a variant of this problem defined by taking the union of optimal matchings across various slightly modified versions of the base graph: $H_{\mathcal{J}}(G)=\bigcup_{U \in \mathcal{J}} M_{\star}(G_{U})$. We establish two families of results: (1) In two distinct settings for the Assignment Problem, we prove that the resulting graphs $H_{\mathcal{J}}$, as well as certain associated graphs $\bar{H}_{\mathcal{J}}$, are spanning trees on the relevant base graphs $G$ and $\bar{G}$. (2) In these same settings, assuming the edge weights are given by the $p$-th power of Euclidean distances for point configurations in the plane, we show that for $p=1$ the tree $H_{\mathcal{J}}$ is non-crossing (i.e., its planar embedding has no crossing edges), whereas, remarkably, for $p=2$ the associated tree $\bar{H}_{\mathcal{J}}$ is non-crossing. Finally, we introduce novel conjectures in Statistical Mechanics, to be explored in future work: in the Random Euclidean Assignment Problem (where points are i.i.d.\ on a planar domain), we conjecture that for $p=2$ the trees $\bar{H}_{\mathcal{J}}$ are asymptotically distributed as Uniform Spanning Trees with free and wired boundary conditions in the two respective settings. In particular, suitable paths on the tree in the second setting, and on its planar dual in the first setting, are asymptotically distributed as $\text{SLE}_{\kappa}$ with $\kappa=2$.
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Probability · Cross-listed from math.NT

The strong form of Van der Waerden's conjecture via twisted Chowla

Determining the properties of a random polynomial has fuelled significant investigation over the past century. One driving force of this research is a 1936 paper of Van der Waerden. Fix $n \ge 3$ and let $E_n(B)$ be the number of monic, irreducible, non-$S_n$ polynomials $f = X^n + a_1 X^{n-1} + \cdots + a_n$ with $|a_j| \leq B$ for all $j$. A recent breakthrough of Bhargava bounds $E_n(B) \ll B^{n-1}$. This spectacularly resolves a conjecture of Van der Waerden, but leaves open its stronger form, namely that $E_n(B) = o(B^{n-1})$. Inspired by recent progress, we now prove this stronger form for all $n \ge 40$. Bhargava's result, together with work of Chow and Dietmann, essentially reduces the strong Van der Waerden conjecture to the claim that the number of polynomials $f$ with Galois group $A_n$ is $o(B^{n-1})$. We connect this claim to Chowla's conjecture, an area driving major mathematical progress. Indeed, we formulate a twisted function field version of Chowla's conjecture, and show how Van der Waerden's conjecture reduces to this conjecture for $n \ge 8$. Finally, we make significant progress towards this twisted Chowla conjecture, leading to our resolution of the strong form of Van der Waerden's conjecture for all $n \geq 40$.
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All authors Theresa C. Anderson, Sam Chow, Rainer Dietmann, David Hokken, Peter Koymans, Robert J. Lemke Oliver, Will Sawin, Mark Shusterman

Probability · Cross-listed from math.CO

Cocycles of determinantal hypertrees with small support

Let ${T}_n$ be a random $2$-dimensional determinantal hypertree on $n$ vertices. Given any prime $p$, we answer the following question: If a cocycle in $Z^1({T}_n,\mathbb{F}_p)$ has small support, what does the support typically look like? More precisely, we characterize all the finite connected graphs $G$ for which there is a constant $c_G>0$ with the following property: For all large enough $n$, with probability at least $c_G$, we have a cocycle $f\in Z^1({T}_n,\mathbb{F}_p)$ such that after removing all the isolated vertices, the support of $f$ is isomorphic to $G$. We prove that for $p>2$, we do not have any such graph. For $p=2$, a connected graph has the property above if and only if it has a unique cycle such that this unique cycle has odd length, moreover, if the unique cycle is a triangle, then we also need to require that all the vertices of the triangle have degree at least $3$.
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Probability · Cross-listed from math.OA

Non-commutative law of rare events

We establish quantitative versions of the law of rare events and binomial approximations in non-commutative probability settings, including the free, Boolean, and monotone convolution frameworks. Our main results provide explicit error bounds in the non-commutative Wasserstein distance for approximations of convolutions of rare countings by non-commutative Poisson and binomial distributions. These bounds extend classical results from the tensor setting to the non-commutative regime. Our approach relies on a discrete Lindeberg-type interpolation scheme combined with algebraic properties of cumulants adapted to each independence notion. The results presented here fill a gap in the literature concerning explicit rates of convergence in non-commutative limit theorems.
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Probability · Cross-listed from math.ST

Robust Scale Estimation in Additive Noise via Weighted Order Statistics

This manuscript develops a non-parametric and robust framework for estimating the scale of additive noise in weakly sparse systems. The method does not require independence, prescribed dependence, or temporal regularity of the noise sequence. We introduce a class of order-statistic estimators based on comparing the sorted observations with deterministic or random proxies generated from a reference noise distribution. This purely spatial approach avoids preliminary filtering or temporal decorrelation, and therefore preserves the sparsity structure of the latent signal. We establish non-asymptotic concentration inequalities for weighted loss functions, with bounds that separate the contribution of the signal from the discrepancy between the ordered noise and the proxy. We then control this proxy discrepancy in independent and correlated regimes, including heavy-tailed reference laws. Finally, we apply the method to high-frequency observations of continuous-time stochastic processes, obtaining scale estimators for fractional Brownian motion and stable Lévy noise in the presence of lower-variation additive perturbations.
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Probability

Optimal Mixing of Glauber Dynamics for the Sherrington-Kirkpatrick Model at $\beta < 1/2$

We prove that for every fixed inverse temperature $\beta < 1 / 2$, with high probability over the disorder, the single-site Glauber dynamics for the $n$-spin Sherrington-Kirkpatrick model mixes from every initial configuration to within total variation distance $\varepsilon$ in $O_{\beta}\left(n \log\left(n / \varepsilon\right)\right)$ steps. The bound holds uniformly over all external fields and is optimal up to constants depending only on $\beta$. The main ingredient is a deterministic criterion for optimal-order Poincaré inequalities in general Ising models, established via the integrated Bakry-Émery criterion together with a new two-spin estimate. A standard application of the localization-scheme framework of Chen and Eldan then upgrades the Poincaré inequality to a modified log-Sobolev inequality, yielding the optimal mixing-time bound. The main ideas underlying the proof of the Poincaré inequality were generated by GPT-5.6 Sol Ultra.
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Saturday 22 August

Probability · Cross-listed from math.ST

Comparing the reliability of coherent systems with heterogeneous, dependent and distribution-free components

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in comparing the reliability of systems with dependent components. Most of the recent works consider Archimedean copulas to define the dependency structure of systems and examine specific familiy of distributions. In this work, we provide distribution-free results to compare, in the usual stochastic order under some majorization conditions, coherent systems with heterogeneous and dependent components where the dependency structure can be defined by any copula. Applications of our main results for specific copulas and different families of marginal distributions are also given.
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Probability

From Individual-Based Stochastic Epidemics to Heterogeneous SIR Equations

We develop a stochastic framework for a broad class of heterogeneous SIR epidemic models. In the finite-population construction, each initially susceptible individual is assigned a fixed nonnegative susceptibility, and infection occurs when the accumulated population-level infection pressure exceeds an individual random threshold. Infectious periods are independent and exponentially distributed with a common recovery rate. For any susceptibility distribution with finite mean, we prove a uniform-on-compact law of large numbers for the susceptible, infectious, removed, and cumulative infection-pressure processes. In the limit, an individual with susceptibility lambda remains susceptible under cumulative pressure x with probability exp(-x lambda). It follows that the susceptible fraction is given by the Laplace transform of the initial susceptibility distribution, while the incidence rate is governed by the mean susceptibility among those who remain susceptible. The resulting limits recover several familiar heterogeneous SIR systems, including the classical power-law model, and also yield other closed nonlinear incidence forms. The framework therefore provides a unified probabilistic foundation for deterministic epidemic models with persistent individual heterogeneity.
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All authors Olga Izyumtseva, Wasiur R. KhudaBukhsh, M. Gabriela M. Gomes, Grzegorz A. Rempala

Probability · Cross-listed from math.AP

Commutator Estimates Uniform in the Screening Parameter and Mean-Field Limits for Yukawa Interactions

We study quantitative mean-field limits for classical particles with Yukawa (screened Coulomb) interactions in every fixed dimension $d\ge2$, uniformly as the screening parameter $\kappa$ tends to zero. Our main result is a first-order commutator estimate in the natural Yukawa modulated energy, with an additive error of order $N^{-2/d}$ for $d\ge3$ and $(1+\log N)/N$ for $d=2$. It requires only a bounded reference density and a Lipschitz transport field, with no uniform lower bound on interparticle distances and no negative power of $\kappa$. The modified Helmholtz operator $-\Delta+\kappa^2$ creates the main new difficulty. Truncating the potential to a constant inside each truncation ball produces a surface charge and a positive volume charge whose total mass is strictly less than one. We keep the reference density unchanged and control this loss of mass through an exact Green function representation and renormalized energy identities. A stress-energy identity with interface terms and averaging over the truncation radii then give the uniform commutator estimate. Combined with the modulated energy dissipation identity and a normalized quadratic transport cost, this estimate yields weak–strong stability, propagation of chaos, and time-integrated control of the mean-square difference between empirical and mean-field forces. We also prove a quantitative Yukawa-to-Coulomb limit. For smooth product data, $N\to\infty$ and $\kappa\downarrow0$ may be taken simultaneously with no relation between their rates; in dimension three, a direct comparison at the particle level also holds for general symmetric initial laws with finite initial error.
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All authors Ning Jiang, Zhengyang Qiao, Juntao Wu, Jiangwei Zhang

2608.22038 · 22 Aug · 52 pages. Revised version. The Yukawa truncation argument has been reorganized: the reference density is kept unchanged and the mass defect is tracked directly in the renormalized energy. The exposition and related-work discussion have also been revised. Main results and quantitative rates are unchanged

Probability

Properties of Subsets of Unobserved Items Constructed by Using Blackwell's Bet

Blackwells Bet (also known as the Cover Guessing Game) is an extremely clever use of a random variable to improve the probability of guessing which of two numbers is larger when you are only allowed to observe one of those numbers. This technique has hitherto been used to guess or predict outcomes with better-than-chance results. We show that this technique can also be used to construct subsets of unobserved items which have expected values below and above the expected value of the parent set. We discuss this in two situations: when the items in question can have arbitrary values, and when the items in question are Bernoulli trials. We also include simulations in an instance when the actual formulas require extensive.iteration of recursively-defined relations.
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Probability

Interacting Urn Schemes on Finite Ancestral Directed Acyclic Graphs

We study interacting finite-color urn schemes on directed acyclic graphs, allowing the graph to be infinite. Each urn evolves through reinforcements driven by colors drawn from its in-neighboring urns via edge-dependent reinforcement matrices. Assuming that every vertex has only finitely many ancestors, we prove almost sure convergence of urn proportions and show that the limiting configuration is determined by vertices with no ancestors or self-loops. Under additional balance and irreducibility assumptions on reinforcement matrices, we also obtain second-order asymptotic results in all regimes of appropriately defined parameters.
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Probability · Cross-listed from math.NA

A diffusion time-changed stochastic SIS epidemic model: well-posedness, long-time behavior, and numerical approximation

In this paper, we propose and analyze a diffusion time-changed susceptible-infected-susceptible (SIS) epidemic model driven by time-changed Brownian motion. We prove that the proposed model admits a unique global positive solution for any initial value in $(0,N)$. The extinction and persistence of the disease are then investigated. To approximate the diffusion time-changed SIS model, we construct a positivity-preserving logarithmic Euler-Maruyama (LEM) method. Assuming that the time-changed is given by the inverse of a standard $\alpha$-stable subordinator with $\alpha\in(0,1)$, we prove that the numerical solution converges strongly to the exact solution with order $\alpha$. Finally, numerical experiments are provided to confirm the predicted convergence rates and illustrate the positivity-preserving property of the proposed method.
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Probability

Ruin theory incorporating MIPP-type jumps

The paper studies the ruin probability for an insurer's surplus process when claim arrivals are governed by a Multiply Iterated Poisson Process (MIPP). This framework generalizes the classical Cramér-Lundberg model by permitting claims to arrive in clusters, which makes it well suited for representing catastrophic insurance events. The main result is the development of explicit conditions for ultimate ruin, demonstrating that the ruin probability is driven chiefly by the jump intensity and the number of iterations. In addition, we derive integro-differential equations for both survival and ruin probabilities and obtain their Laplace transforms. These transforms are connected through recursive relations that tie ruin probabilities at successive iteration levels. We further propose a Cramér-Lundberg-type approximation, yielding asymptotic formulas for ruin probabilities together with a Lundberg-style bound. Finally, numerical experiments - along with comparisons to the classical model - are included to support the theory and to illustrate how claim clustering affects an insurer's likelihood of ruin.
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Probability

Logarithmic derivatives of variational and singular stochastic partial differential equations

For a stochastic partial differential equation posed on a Gelfand triple and satisfying the fully local monotone conditions of Röckner, Shang and Zhang, we compute the logarithmic derivative of the law of the solution at a fixed time along a prescribed direction of the state space. The formula is intrinsic, being expressed through the Hilbert-Schmidt Malliavin derivative $\Phi_r = \mathcal{D}_r X(t)$ and the covariance $\gamma_t = \int_0^t \Phi_r \Phi_r^{*} \,\mathrm{d}r$ alone, so that neither the inversion of the first variation used in finite dimensions nor uniform Malliavin-Sobolev bounds on the Tikhonov family are called upon. It is obtained from an integration-by-parts identity on an abstract Hilbert space, a Moore-Penrose construction of a covering field on Wiener space, and a trace formula for the Tikhonov limit, specialised to the equation through the representation $\Phi_r = Y(t,r)\mathcal{B}(r,X(r))$ of the Malliavin derivative by the first variation; the stochastic $p$-Laplacian and the two-dimensional Navier-Stokes equation are treated in detail. Beyond the variational class, a scalar reduction gives an integration-by-parts identity for the law of a pairing $\langle u(t),\varphi\rangle$ which passes to the renormalised limit for the singular equations of Bruned, Chandra, Chevyrev and Hairer, and which is represented by a logarithmic derivative under second-order Malliavin smoothness and negative-moment hypotheses.
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Probability

Stability of extremal hyperplane projections of balls in $\ell_p^n(\mathbb{R})$

We prove stability estimates for the volume of central hyperplane projections of unit balls in $\ell_p^n(\mathbb{R})$, establishing the dual counterpart of the result of Chasapis, Nayar and Tkocz on stability of sections.

Probability · Cross-listed from math.OC

Optimal Selling of Defaultable Assets using the Distribution Builder

We consider the problem of when it is best to sell a risky asset in the framework of the distribution builder approach under the consideration of potential ruin. This approach allows investors to express their preferences directly as a desired target distribution without first specifying a risk aversion or utility function. Mathematically, the problem is closely related to the Skorokhod embedding problem, where the goal is to attain a given distribution by stopping a diffusion process. We work in a general framework of one-dimensional diffusion processes and extend existing results to include the possibility of ruin. We first provide a full characterization of the set of distributions that can be attained before ruin occurs. Then, we formulate two optimization problems that tackle the issue of what to do if the originally specified distribution is either not attainable or not optimal: finding the attainable distribution closest to an unattainable distribution and selecting an optimal attainable distribution under first-order stochastic dominance constraints if the originally specified distribution is attainable, but not optimal. We show existence and uniqueness of solutions to these constrained convex optimization problems in an extended $f$-divergence framework, provide an analytic characterization of solutions and give numerical examples.
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Probability

Superdiffusivity of random walks on the three-dimensional randomly oriented Manhattan lattice

We study the superdiffusive behavior of random walks on the randomly oriented Manhattan lattice, i.e., the $d$-dimensional integer lattice $\mathbb{Z}^d$ where each axis-aligned line is independently assigned a random direction (forward or backward) with equal probability. The walker takes nearest-neighbor steps, choosing an axis randomly and moving along the assigned direction of that axis's line, with equal probabilities for each axis. We show that, in the critical dimension $d=3$, the diffusion coefficient of the random walk diverges in the Tauberian sense as $\sqrt{\log t}$ with a multiplicative correction $(\log\log t)^{\pm(2+\varepsilon)}$ as time $t\to\infty$. This gives an answer to a conjecture by Ledger, Tóth and Valkó (2018).
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Friday 21 August

Probability

A Law of Fractional Logarithm for Nested Complex Sample Covariance Matrices

We prove a law of fractional logarithm for the largest eigenvalue along a northwest-nested path of complex sample covariance matrices from one infinite array. The entries are independent and centered, with unit variance, vanishing complex second moment, and uniformly bounded moments of every fixed order. The row dimension is nondecreasing, has bounded increments, and has a positive limiting aspect ratio. After finite-size edge centering and scaling, the almost-sure limsup on the $(\log N)^{2/3}$ scale is $(1/4)^{2/3}$, and the liminf on the $(\log N)^{1/3}$ scale is $-4^{1/3}$. The corresponding cluster sets in $\mathbb{R}$ are $[0,(1/4)^{2/3}]$ and $[-4^{1/3},\infty)$. The proof compares the Laplace transform of a single smoothed count over a growing grid of full nested matrices with its Gaussian counterpart. Gaussian count concentration gives block occurrences with probability tending to one. Dyadic tail bounds yield the endpoints, and deterministic interpolation gives the cluster sets.
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Probability

Variance lower bounds for geometric functionals of rotationally invariant log-concave random polytopes

We establish variance lower bounds for the intrinsic volumes and the face numbers of random polytopes, generated by independent samples from rotationally invariant log-concave probability measures on $\mathbb{R}^d$ with full support. Our results extend the corresponding Gaussian lower bounds of Bárány and Vu and of Bárány and Thäle to this broader class of distributions. Our proof builds on the geometric construction introduced by Bárány and Vu, for which we develop an alternative treatment based on barycentric coordinates. We combine it with local variance estimates for both intrinsic volumes and the number of faces.
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Probability · Cross-listed from math.NT

Rational Points and Brownian Motion

Given a real-valued function $f$, let $\mathcal{N}_f(\delta, Q)$ be the number of rational points with denominators at most $Q\ge 1$ in the $(\delta/Q)$-tubular neighbourhood of the graph of the function $f$. A heuristic predicts that the number of such points grows like the area of the neighbourhood provided that $\delta$ is big enough (in a suitable sense). Considerable efforts have been committed to prove this heuristic for regular curves. This culminated in the works by Vaughan & Velani~(2006) and by Huang~(2015) establishing an asymptotic expansion for $\mathcal{N}_f(\delta, Q)$ provided that $\delta\gg Q^{-1+\epsilon}$ for some $\epsilon>0$ when the map $f$ is, among other assumptions, twice continuously differentiable. The present work deals with the thus-far unexplored regime where minimal regularity conditions are imposed on the curve. More precisely, it is concerned with the case where the map $f$ is an a.s. realisation of the graph of Brownian motion. The main result establishes the existence of an almost sure asymptotic expansion for the counting function for all values of $\delta$, with the exception of a critical regime, thereby going well beyond the theory currently available for regular curves. A key ingredient in the proof is the derivation of the area heuristic, which relies on establishing the a.s. asymptotics of the area of the tubular neighbourhood of the graph of Brownian motion. This result has two main consequences: firstly, it completes the counting aspect of the theory of Diophantine approximation on the graph of Brownian motion initiated by Sprindžuk (1979). Secondly, it hints at the existence of a theory unifying the analysis of rational points near a curve on the one hand and, on the other, its local Hölder regularity and fine-scale oscillations. It thus builds a seemingly new bridge between Number Theory and Multifractal Analysis.
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Probability · Cross-listed from q-fin.PR

Beyond Lognormal Sums: A Four-Moment Probability Framework for Basket and Spread Option Pricing

Basket options are difficult to value under correlated lognormal dynamics because weighted sums and differences of lognormal variables have no tractable distribution. This paper develops a probability-based four-moment framework that separates the exact pricing representation from the distributional approximation. A change of measure first writes a basket price as a linear combination of probabilities. For a standard basket with one positive weight, these probabilities become CDF values of positive correlated lognormal sums. Each sum is approximated by a shifted lognormal variance mixture matched to its first four moments. For an unrestricted mixed-sign basket, a signed shifted lognormal proxy gives an analytical call-price formula. We state admissibility conditions, provide a practical root-selection rule, establish the main strike-based financial properties of the direct proxy, and derive exact pricing-error identities in terms of cumulative distribution function (CDF) discrepancies. The numerical analysis combines standard-basket benchmarks with an empirical application to a normalized $3{:}2{:}1$ crack spread constructed from RBOB gasoline, ULSD or heating oil, and WTI futures. The results show that the probability reformulation and the fourth-moment condition improve the distributional fit and pricing accuracy, particularly when maturity and tail asymmetry increase. The framework remains analytical, transparent, and suitable for repeated valuation across strikes and maturities.
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All authors Dongdong Hu, Hasanjan Sayit, Steve Tchoneteck, Frederi Viens

Probability · Cross-listed from stat.ML

A Data-Driven Approach to State Construction in Markov Models

A Markov chain is a widely used stochastic process modelling random events over time. These models are built on subsets of the entire dataset, referred to as states, which are considered to be homogeneous regarding transition probabilities. However, the creation of these states is often disregarded or based on prior assumption, potentially violating the homogeneity requirement and thus decreasing the validity and predictive power of the model. In order to fill this gap, this paper combines supervised feature selection with unsupervised learning techniques for data-driven state construction. Density-based clustering, spectral clustering, and Kohonen self-organizing maps are examined for their ability to identify latent groups without prior assumptions. The contribution of this study is twofold. First, the paper presents a methodological framework for state construction incorporating suitable unsupervised learning techniques, with appropriate measures both for classification performance and Markov model accuracy. Secondly, the framework is tested on an application, resulting in a comparative analysis showing that spectral clustering and Kohonen self-organizing maps are best at capturing inherent structure. These results serve as a cornerstone in providing theoretical and methodological guidance for improving state definition in applied Markov modelling.
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Probability · Cross-listed from stat.ML

Spectral partitioning for $k$-block averaging kernels of finite Markov chains

We develop spectral algorithms for selecting state-space partitions that define averaging kernels for finite, ergodic and reversible Markov chains. For a partition $\mathcal O$, the Gibbs kernel $G_{\mathcal O}$ resamples within the current block from the stationary conditional distribution; when this update is tractable, composing or mixing it with a baseline kernel $P$ can accelerate convergence. We select $\mathcal O$ by rounding the bottom nonconstant eigenfunctions of $P^2$, or the algebraically smallest eigenfunctions of $P$ for additive mixtures, using weighted $k$-means. For $F(\mathcal O)=\|G_{\mathcal O}P-\Pi\|_{F,\pi}^2$, we derive exact trace and normalized-cut representations and show that $F$ equals the Pearson $\chi^2$-mutual information between the initial block label and the state after one transition, giving this matrix objective a natural probabilistic interpretation. In the two-block case, a threshold sweep exactly solves the associated one-dimensional weighted two-means rounding problem. For general $k \geq 2$, weighted $k$-means rounds the bottom $(k-1)$-dimensional embedding, after which candidates are rescored by $F$; the rounding distortion is a distance between subspaces that yields spectral approximation bounds. We extend the framework to additive mixtures, finite-horizon objectives, and discounted infinite-horizon objectives. In contrast to classical normalized spectral clustering, which uses top nonconstant modes to find low-flow persistent clusters, our method uses bottom modes to favor large normalized cross-block flow and rapid loss of block-label information. Experiments on a controlled-spectrum graph, a mean-field Ising model, and Bayesian variable selection show notable per-iteration improvements in convergence and statistical estimation.
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Probability · Cross-listed from math.NT

Almost sure upper bound for sums of random multiplicative functions and critical chaos

Let $f$ be a Steinhaus or Rademacher random multiplicative function. We use methods from the theory of critical chaos to improve on the best known upper bound for partial sums of random multiplicative functions. In particular, our results imply that for any $\varepsilon>0$, almost surely $$ \Big|\sum_{n\le x}f(n)\Big| \ll_{\varepsilon}\sqrt{x}(\log_2x)^{1/4}(\log_3x)^{1+\varepsilon}. $$ This proves in a strong form a conjecture of Harper on large fluctuations of partial sums of random multiplicative functions, and determines the exact corresponding logarithmic exponent.
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Probability

Interface between competing random walks on a cycle

We consider a competition between two independent random walks on a cycle of length $N$. Each vertex is claimed by the walker that visits it first, and remains claimed thereafter. We prove that if the initial distance between the walkers is $d$, then the expected number of edges whose endpoints are claimed by different walkers is of order $\ln(1+N/d).$ This confirms the logarithmic dependence on $N/d$ predicted in Gomes Jr. et al. [Coloring of a one-dimensional lattice by two independent random walkers. Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications 225.1 (1996): 81-88].
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Probability · Cross-listed from math-ph

The spin-1/2 Heisenberg XXZ chain and the Lorentz mirror model with loop weight 2

We prove that for the spin-1/2 Heisenberg XXZ chain in the range $\Delta\in[-1,1/2]$, the ground state on the torus of length $L$ converges to an infinite volume ground state $\langle\cdot\rangle$ as $L\to\infty$, and that the spin-spin correlation $\langle S_0^{(1)}S_x^{(1)}\rangle$ decays polynomially fast in $x$. In the range $\Delta\in[-1,0]$ we have the stronger results: that the convergence holds for several finite-volume, finite temperature states, that $L$ and $\beta=1/T$ can be taken to infinity in any order, that the convergence holds on (Euclidean) dynamic correlators, and that $\langle S_0^{(1)}S_x^{(1)}(t)\rangle$ decays to zero in $|(x,t)|$, and cannot decay exponentially fast. The convergence of the ground state in infinite volume is known rigorously by Bethe Ansatz methods, while our correlation decay results (apart from the points $\Delta=0,-1$), the convergence on dynamic correlators and the interchangeability of limits are new at the rigorous level. Moreover our methods are new and do not use any Bethe Ansatz techniques, using only the following related probabilistic models. In the Lorentz mirror model with loop weight 2, a model of random loops on the square lattice, in a large range of parameters we prove that connection probabilities tend to 0, and do so polynomially fast in the symmetric case of the model. Our proof uses two couplings of this mirror model with the six-vertex model, one of which is new. The main input is the delocalisation of the height function of the six-vertex model proved by several authors. We further prove that the height function of a certain space-time version of the six-vertex model delocalises and then prove through analogous couplings to those mentioned above that connection probabilities converge to 0 in the loop representation of the XXZ model introduced by Ueltschi.
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Probability

Laws of the iterated logarithm for random Dirichlet series with general weights

For each $s>0$, we consider a random Dirichlet series $X(s)=\sum_{k\geq 1}k^{-1/2-s}a_k\eta_k$, where $\eta_1$, $\eta_2,\ldots$ are independent and identically distributed random variables with mean zero and finite positive variance, and $(a_k)_{k\geq 1}$ is a deterministic sequence of real numbers satisfying $\sum_{k\geq 1}k^{-1-2s}a_k^2<\infty$ for each $s>0$ and $\sum_{k\geq 1}k^{-1}a_k^2=\infty$. We investigate the almost-sure fluctuations of $X(s)$ as $s\to0+$. Under these minimal assumptions, we construct examples exhibiting several non-standard forms of the law of the iterated logarithm (LIL) along suitable sequences: the normalization and the upper and lower limit constants may differ from their classical counterparts. We also show that a regular growth condition of the form $\sum_{k\leq n}k^{-1}a_k^2\sim c(\log n)^\beta$, where $c,\beta>0$, is not by itself sufficient to ensure a standard LIL. Finally, under an additional counting condition controlling the frequency of indices at which the weights $a_k$ are comparatively large, we prove that $(2{\rm Var}\,[X(s)]\log\log({\rm Var}\,[X(s)]))^{-1/2}X(s)$ has the almost-sure cluster set $[-1,1]$ as $s\to 0+$. The latter result is applied to several coefficient sequences of number-theoretic origin.
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Probability

Two problems for threshold cascades of interacting diffusions on unimodular random trees: front propagation with a Bramson correction, and the continuous-type limit theory

Companion to arXiv:2608.XXXXX, which reduces threshold cascades of coupled Ornstein-Uhlenbeck diffusions on graphs converging Benjamini-Schramm to a unimodular Galton-Watson tree, unconditionally in a dissipative regime, to a finite-type Galton-Watson process. Two problems are left open there; we formulate both precisely, supply the analytic framework, and prove partial theorems. First, front propagation. We show the generation-indexed front admits a genuine branching random walk comparison, prove the front depth grows ballistically with an explicit speed $c_*$ given by the Perron root of a tilted mean matrix (unconditional in the dissipative regime), and reduce the conjectured Bramson delay $c_* t - \frac{3}{2c_*}\log t$ to the uniform integrability of a derivative martingale, which we construct at the linearised level. The front central limit theorem and the Bramson correction are stated as conjectures with a proof strategy. Second, the sensitive regime, where the type is a continuous failure strength and the offspring law is a Cox mixture. We prove the mean offspring operator $K$ on $L^2$ of the strength variable is quasi-compact with a spectral gap, the mechanism being Hilbert-Schmidt smoothing of the Ornstein-Uhlenbeck kernel governing strength inheritance. This yields a general-state-space Kesten-Stigum theorem, extends the $n^{-3/2}$ total-progeny law to continuous types with an explicit constant, and gives a strength-resolved central limit theorem. The continuous-type CRT scaling limit is reduced to a multitype invariance principle on a Polish type space, conjectured with all hypotheses verified modulo one tightness estimate. Neither problem is fully closed; each is given a framework, first-order theorems, and a precisely delimited remaining step.
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