arXiv subjects

Dario Bini

Publications and source records attributed to Dario Bini.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

Cut-edge centralities in an undirected graph

A centrality measure of the cut-edges of an undirected graph, given in [Altafini et al.~SIMAX 2023] and based on Kemeny's constant, is revisited. A numerically more stable expression is given to compute this measure, and an explicit expression is provided for some classes of graphs, including one-path graphs and trees formed by three or more branches. These results theoretically confirm the good physical behaviour of this centrality measure, experimentally observed in [Altafini et al.~SIMAX 2023]. Numerical tests are reported to check the stability and to confirm the good physical behaviour.

math.NA↗

arXiv2024

On certain matrix algebras related to quasi-Toeplitz matrices

Let $A_α$ be the semi-infinite tridiagonal matrix having subdiagonal and superdiagonal unit entries, $(A_α)_{11}=α$, where $α\in\mathbb C$, and zero elsewhere. A basis $\{P_0,P_1,P_2,\ldots\}$ of the linear space $\mathcal P_α$ spanned by the powers of $A_α$ is determined, where $P_0=I$, $P_n=T_n+H_n$, $T_n$ is the symmetric Toeplitz matrix having ones in the $n$th super- and sub-diagonal, zeros elsewhere, and $H_n$ is the Hankel matrix with first row $[θα^{n-2}, θα^{n-3}, \ldots, θ, α, 0, \ldots]$, where $θ=α^2-1$. The set $\mathcal P_α$ is an algebra, and for $α\in\{-1,0,1\}$, $H_n$ has only one nonzero anti-diagonal. This fact is exploited to provide a better representation of symmetric quasi-Toeplitz matrices $\mathcal {QT}_S$, where, instead of representing a generic matrix $A\in\mathcal{QT}_S$ as $A=T+K$, where $T$ is Toeplitz and $K$ is compact, it is represented as $A=P+H$, where $P\in\mathcal P_α$ and $H$ is compact. It is shown experimentally that the matrix arithmetic obtained this way is much more effective than that implemented in the CQT-Toolbox of Numer.~Algo. 81(2):741--769, 2019.

math.NA↗

arXiv2022

A defect-correction algorithm for quadratic matrix equations, with applications to quasi-Toeplitz matrices

A defect correction formula for quadratic matrix equations of the kind $A_1X^2+A_0X+A_{-1}=0$ is presented. This formula, expressed by means of an invariant subspace of a suitable pencil, allows us to introduce a modification of the Structure-preserving Doubling Algorithm (SDA), that enables refining an initial approximation to the sought solution. This modification provides substantial advantages, in terms of convergence acceleration, in the solution of equations coming from stochastic models, by choosing a stochastic matrix as the initial approximation. An application to solving random walks in the quarter plane is shown, where the coefficients $A_{-1},A_0,A_1$ are quasi-Toeplitz matrices of infinite size.

math.NA↗

arXiv2018

Why is Kemeny's constant a constant?

In their 1960 book on finite Markov chains, Kemeny and Snell established that a certain sum is invariant. The value of this sum has become known as {\it Kemeny's constant}. Various proofs have been given over time, some more technical than others. We give here a very simple physical justification, which extends without a hitch to continuous-time Markov chains on a finite state space. For Markov chains with denumerably infinite state space, the constant may be infinite and even if it is finite, there is no guarantee that the physical argument will hold. We show that the physical interpretation does go through for the special case of a birth-and-death process with a finite value of Kemeny's constant. Keywords: Kemeny's constant; discrete-time Markov chains; continuous-time Markov chains; passage times; deviation matrix.

math.PR↗