We consider the simple random walk conditioned to stay forever in a finite domain $D_N \subset \mathbb{Z}^d, d \geq 3$ of typical size $N$. This confined walk is a random walk on the conductances given by the first eigenvector of the Laplacian on $D_N$. On inner sets of $D_N$, the trace of this confined walk can be approximated by tilted random interlacements, which is a useful tool to understand some properties of the walk. In this paper, we propose to study the cover time of inner subsets $Λ_N$ of $D_N$ as well as the so-called late points of these subsets. If $Λ_N$ contains enough late points, we obtain the asymptotic expansion of the covering time as $c_ΛN^d \big[ \log N - \log\log N + \mathcal{G} \big]$, with $\mathcal{G}$ a Gumbel random variable, as well as a Poisson repartition of these late points. The method we use is similar to Belius' work about the simple random walk on the torus, which displays the same asymptotics albeit without the $\log \log N$ term. In the more general setting of ``ball-like'' $Λ_N$, we simply get the first term of the asymptotic expansion.
Quantum walks on graphs are ubiquitous in quantum computing finding a myriad of applications. Likewise, random walks on graphs are a fundamental building block for a large number of algorithms with diverse applications. While the relationship between quantum and random walks has been recently discussed in specific scenarios, this work establishes a formal equivalence between the processes on arbitrary finite graphs and general conditions for shift and coin operators. It requires empowering random walks with time heterogeneity, where the transition probability of the walker is non-uniform and time dependent. The equivalence is obtained by equating the probability of measuring the quantum walk on a given node of the graph and the probability that the random walk is at that same node, for all nodes and time steps. The result is given by the construction procedure of a matrix sequence for the random walk that yields the exact same vertex probability distribution sequence of any given quantum walk, including the scenario with multiple interfering walkers. Interestingly, these matrices allows for a different simulation approach for quantum walks where node samples respect neighbor locali
We study boundaries arising from limits of ratios of transition probabilities for random walks on relatively hyperbolic groups. We extend, as well as determine significant limitations of, a strategy employed by Woess for computing ratio-limit boundaries for the class of hyperbolic groups. On the one hand we employ results of the second and third authors to adapt this strategy to spectrally non-degenerate random walks, and show that the closure of minimal points in $R$-Martin boundary is the unique smallest invariant subspace in ratio-limit boundary. On the other hand we show that the general strategy can fail when the random walk is spectrally degenerate and adapted on a free product. Using our results, we are able to extend a theorem of the first author beyond the hyperbolic case and establish the existence of a co-universal quotient for Toeplitz C*-algebras arising from random walks which are spectrally non-degenerate on relatively hyperbolic groups. Finally, we exhibit an example of a relatively hyperbolic group carrying two random walks such that the ratio limit boundaries are not equivariantly homeomorphic and no two equivariant quotients of their respective Toeplitz C*-algebr
Consider a generalized Elephant Random Walk in which the step is chosen by selecting $k$ previous steps with $k$ odd and then going in the majority direction with a probability $p$ and in the opposite direction otherwise. In the $k=1$ case the model is the original one and could be resolved exactly by analogy with Friedman's urn. However the analogy cannot be extended to the $k>2$ case already. In this paper we show how to treat the model for each $k$ by analogy with the more general urn model of Hill, Lane and Sudderth. Interestingly for $k>2$ we found a critical dependence from the initial conditions beyond a certain values of the memory parameter $p$, and regions of convergence with entropy that is sub-linear in the number of steps.
We study the two-point functions of a general class of random-length random walks on finite boxes in $\ZZ^d$ with $d\ge3$, and provide precise asymptotics for their behaviour. We show that the finite-box two-point function is asymptotic to the infinite-lattice two-point function when the typical walk length is $o(L^2)$, but develops a plateau when the typical walk length is $Ω(L^2)$. We also numerically study walk length moments and limiting distributions of the self-avoiding walk and Ising model on five-dimensional tori, and find that they agree asymptotically with the known results for self-avoiding walk on the complete graph, both at the critical point and also for a broad class of scaling windows/pseudocritical points. Furthermore, we show that the two-point function of the finite-box random-length random walk, with walk length chosen via the complete graph self-avoiding walk, agrees numerically with the two-point functions of the self-avoiding walk and Ising model on five-dimensional tori. We conjecture that these observations in five dimensions should also hold in all higher dimensions.
Discrete quantum walks are dynamical protocols for controlling a single quantum particle. Despite of its simplicity, quantum walks display rich topological phenomena and provide one of the simplest systems to study and understand topological phases. In this article, we review the physics of discrete quantum walks in one and two dimensions in light of topological phenomena and provide elementary explanations of topological phases and their physical consequence, namely the existence of boundary states. We demonstrate that quantum walks are versatile systems that simulate many topological phases whose classifications are known for static Hamiltonians. Furthermore, topological phenomena appearing in quantum walks go beyond what has been known in static systems; there are phenomena unique to quantum walks, being an example of periodically driven systems, that do not exist in static systems. Thus the quantum walks not only provide a powerful tool as a quantum simulator for static topological phases but also give unique opportunity to study topological phenomena in driven systems.
We study three different random walk models on several two-dimensional lattices by Monte Carlo simulations. One is the usual nearest neighbor random walk. Another is the nearest neighbor random walk which is not allowed to backtrack. The final model is the smart kinetic walk. For all three of these models the distribution of the point where the walk exits a simply connected domain $D$ in the plane converges weakly to harmonic measure on $\partial D$ as the lattice spacing $δ\rightarrow 0$. Let $ω(0,|dz|;D)$ be harmonic measure for $D$, and let $ω_δ(0,|dz|;D)$ be the discrete harmonic measure for one of the random walk models. Our definition of the random walk models is unusual in that we average over the orientation of the lattice with respect to the domain. We are interested in the limit of $(ω_δ(0,|dz|;D)- ω(0,|dz|;D))/δ$. Our Monte Carlo simulations of the three models lead to the conjecture that this limit equals $c_{M,L} \, ρ_D(z) |dz|$, where the function $ρ_D(z)$ depends on the domain, but not on the model or lattice, and the constant $c_{M,L}$ depends on the model and on the lattice, but not on the domain. So there is a form of universality for this first order correction.
The notion of walk entropy $S^V(G,β)$ for a graph $G$ at the inverse temperature $β$ was put forward recently by Estrada et al. (2014) \cite{6}. It was further proved by Benzi \cite{1} that a graph is walk-regular if and only if its walk entropy is maximum for all temperatures $β\in I$, where $I$ is a set of real numbers containing at least an accumulation point. Benzi \cite{1} conjectured that walk regularity can be characterized by the walk entropy if and only if there is a $β>0$, such that $S^V(G,β)$ is maximum. Here we prove that a graph is walk regular if and only if the $S^V(G,β=1)=\ln n$. We also prove that if the graph is regular but not walk-regular $S^V(G,β)<\ln n$ for every $β>0$ and $\lim_{β\to 0} S^V(G,β)=\ln n=\lim_{β\to \infty} S^V(G,β)$. If the graph is not regular then $S^V(G,β) \leq \ln n-ε$ for every $β>0$, for some $ε>0$.
We consider a random walk on the Manhattan lattice. The walker must follow the orientations of the bonds in this lattice, and the walker is not allowed to visit a site more than once. When both possible steps are allowed, the walker chooses between them with equal probability. The walks generated by this model are known to be related to interfaces for bond percolation on a square lattice. So it is natural to conjecture that the scaling limit is SLE$_6$. We test this conjecture with Monte Carlo simulations of the random walk model and find strong support for the conjecture.
We consider a variant of the configuration model with an embedded community structure and study the mixing properties of a simple random walk on it. Every vertex has an internal $\mathrm{deg}^{\text{int}}\geq 3$ and an outgoing $\mathrm{deg}^{\text{out}}$ number of half-edges. Given a stochastic matrix $Q$, we pick a random perfect matching of the half-edges subject to the constraint that each vertex $v$ has $\mathrm{deg}^{\text{int}}(v)$ neighbours inside its community and the proportion of outgoing half-edges from community $i$ matched to a half-edge from community $j$ is $Q(i,j)$. Assuming the number of communities is constant and they all have comparable sizes, we prove the following dichotomy: simple random walk on the resulting graph exhibits cutoff if and only if the product of the Cheeger constant of $Q$ times $\log n$ (where $n$ is the number of vertices) diverges. In [4], Ben-Hamou established a dichotomy for cutoff for a non-backtracking random walk on a similar random graph model with 2 communities. We prove the same characterisation of cutoff holds for simple random walk.
We introduce a self-avoiding walk model for which end-effects are completely eliminated. We enumerate the number of these walks for various lattices in dimensions two and three, and use these enumerations to study the properties of this model. We find that endless self-avoiding walks have the same connective constant as self-avoiding walks, and the same Flory exponent $ν$. However, there is no power law correction to the exponential number growth for this new model, i.e. the critical exponent $γ= 1$ exactly. In addition, we have convincing numerical evidence to support the hypothesis that the amplitude for the number growth is a universal quantity, and somewhat weaker evidence which suggests that the number growth has no analytic corrections to scaling. The technique by which end-effects are eliminated may be generalised to other models of polymers such as interacting self-avoiding walks.
While completely self-avoiding quantum walks have the distinct property of leading to a trivial unidirectional transport of a quantum state, an interesting and non-trivial dynamics can be constructed by restricting the self-avoidance to a subspace of the complete Hilbert space. Here, we present a comprehensive study of three two-dimensional quantum walks, which are self-avoiding in coin space, in position space and in both, coin and position space. We discuss the properties of these walks and show that all result in delocalisation of the probability distribution for initial states which are strongly localised for a walk with a standard Grover coin operation. We also present analytical results for the evolution in the form of limit distributions for the self-avoiding walks in coin space and in both, coin and position space.
It has been shown classically that combining two chaotic random walks can yield an ordered(periodic) walk. Our aim in this paper is to find a quantum analog for this rather counter-intuitive result. We study chaotic and periodic nature of cyclic quantum walks and focus on a unique situation wherein a periodic quantum walk on a 3-cycle graph is generated via a deterministic combination of two chaotic quantum walks on the same graph. We extend our results to even-numbered cyclic graphs, specifically a 4-cycle graph too. Our results will be relevant in quantum cryptography and quantum chaos control.
The discrete time quantum walk defined as a quantum-mechanical analogue of the discrete time random walk have recently been attracted from various and interdisciplinary fields. In this review, the weak limit theorem, that is, the asymptotic behavior, of the one-dimensional discrete time quantum walk is analytically shown. From the limit distribution of the discrete time quantum walk, the discrete time quantum walk can be taken as the quantum dynamical simulator of some physical systems.
Learned locomotion policies can rapidly adapt to diverse environments similar to those experienced during training but lack a mechanism for fast tuning when they fail in an out-of-distribution test environment. This necessitates a slow and iterative cycle of reward and environment redesign to achieve good performance on a new task. As an alternative, we propose learning a single policy that encodes a structured family of locomotion strategies that solve training tasks in different ways, resulting in Multiplicity of Behavior (MoB). Different strategies generalize differently and can be chosen in real-time for new tasks or environments, bypassing the need for time-consuming retraining. We release a fast, robust open-source MoB locomotion controller, Walk These Ways, that can execute diverse gaits with variable footswing, posture, and speed, unlocking diverse downstream tasks: crouching, hopping, high-speed running, stair traversal, bracing against shoves, rhythmic dance, and more. Video and code release: https://gmargo11.github.io/walk-these-ways/
Spatial search by discrete-time quantum walk can find a marked node on any ergodic, reversible Markov chain $P$ quadratically faster than its classical counterpart, i.e.\ in a time that is in the square root of the hitting time of $P$. However, in the framework of continuous-time quantum walks, it was previously unknown whether such general speed-up is possible. In fact, in this framework, the widely used quantum algorithm by Childs and Goldstone fails to achieve such a speedup. Furthermore, it is not clear how to apply this algorithm for searching any Markov chain $P$. In this article, we aim to reconcile the apparent differences between the running times of spatial search algorithms in these two frameworks. We first present a modified version of the Childs and Goldstone algorithm which can search for a marked element for any ergodic, reversible $P$ by performing a quantum walk on its edges. Although this approach improves the algorithmic running time for several instances, it cannot provide a generic quadratic speedup for any $P$. Secondly, using the framework of interpolated Markov chains, we provide a new spatial search algorithm by continuous-time quantum walk which can find a
This dissertation deals with theoretical descriptions of nuclear fission and synthesis of superheavy elements via fusion. The associated shape evolutions are treated using a random-walk approach where both the potential energy and the nuclear level density influence the dynamics. The work in this thesis extends the random-walk model by, in addition to the previous description of fragment mass yields, also simulating how much kinetic energy the fission-fragments obtain and the number of neutrons they emit, as well as how these two quantities are correlated. The thesis also presents studies of how different ways of fissioning, called fission modes, are present in different nuclei and how the presence of these modes depends on the energy of the system. The model is furthermore applied to the description of the shape evolution in fusion for production of superheavy elements.
The mixing time of a random walk, with or without backtracking, on a random graph generated according to the configuration model on $n$ vertices, is known to be of order $\log n$. In this paper we investigate what happens when the random graph becomes {\em dynamic}, namely, at each unit of time a fraction $α_n$ of the edges is randomly rewired. Under mild conditions on the degree sequence, guaranteeing that the graph is locally tree-like, we show that for every $\varepsilon\in(0,1)$ the $\varepsilon$-mixing time of random walk without backtracking grows like $\sqrt{2\log(1/\varepsilon)/\log(1/(1-α_n))}$ as $n \to \infty$, provided that $\lim_{n\to\infty} α_n(\log n)^2=\infty$. The latter condition corresponds to a regime of fast enough graph dynamics. Our proof is based on a randomised stopping time argument, in combination with coupling techniques and combinatorial estimates. The stopping time of interest is the first time that the walk moves along an edge that was rewired before, which turns out to be close to a strong stationary time.
Concentration inequalities, which have proved very useful in a variety of fields, provide fairly tight bounds on large deviation probabilities while central limit theorem (CLT) describes the asymptotic distribution around the mean (at the $\sqrt{n}$ scale). Harris (1963) conjectured that for a supercritical branching random walk (BRW) of i.i.d offspring and i.i.d displacements, positions of individuals in $nth$ generation approach to Gaussian distribution -- central limit theorem. This conjecture was later proved by Stam (1966) and Kaplan \& Asmussen (1976). Refinements and extensions followed. However, to the best of our knowledge, there is no corresponding existing work on concentration inequalities for BRWs. In this note, we propose a new definition of BRW, providing a more general framework. Owing to this definition, a Chernoff-type (subgaussian) bound for BRWs follows directly from the Chernoff bound for random walk. The relation between RW (random walk) and BRW is discussed.
We study some discrete symmetries of unbiased (Hadamard) and biased quantum walk on a line, which are shown to hold even when the quantum walker is subjected to environmental effects. The noise models considered in order to account for these effects are the phase flip, bit flip and generalized amplitude damping channels. The numerical solutions are obtained by evolving the density matrix, but the persistence of the symmetries in the presence of noise is proved using the quantum trajectories approach. We also briefly extend these studies to quantum walk on a cycle. These investigations can be relevant to the implementation of quantum walks in various known physical systems. We discuss the implementation in the case of NMR quantum information processor and ultra cold atoms.