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Franz Merkl

Publications and source records attributed to Franz Merkl.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
arXiv2024

Restrictions of some reinforced processes to subgraphs

We prove that the restriction of the vertex-reinforced jump process to a subset of the vertex set is a mixture of vertex-reinforced jump processes. A similar statement holds for the non-linear hyperbolic supersymmetric sigma model. This is then applied to vertex-reinforced jump processes on subdivided versions of graphs of bounded degree, where every edge is replaced by a finite sequence of edges. We prove that discrete-time processes associated to suitable corresponding restrictions are mixtures of positive recurrent Markov chains. We also deduce a similar statement for edge-reinforced random walks.

math.PR↗
arXiv2024

Fluctuations in the non-linear supersymmetric hyperbolic sigma model with long-range interactions

We consider a class of non-linear supersymmetric hyperbolic sigma models with long-range interactions on boxes in $\mathbb{Z}^d$ and on a hierarchical lattice. We prove that the random field associated to a marginal in horospherical coordinates has asymptotically arbitrarily small fluctuations for large enough interactions, uniformly in the size of the boxes. This can be viewed as a strong version of spontaneous breaking of the Lorentz boost symmetry.

math-ph↗
arXiv2024

Transience of vertex-reinforced jump processes with long-range jumps

We show that the vertex-reinforced jump process on the $d$-dimensional lattice with long-range jumps is transient in any dimension $d$ as long as the initial weights do not decay too fast. The main ingredients in the proof are: an analysis of the corresponding random environment on finite boxes, a comparison with a hierarchical model, and the reduction of the hierarchical model to a non-homogeneous effective one-dimensional model. For $d\ge 3$ we also prove transience of the vertex-reinforced jump process with possibly long-range jumps as long as nearest-neighbor weights are large enough.

math.PR↗
arXiv2023

Vacuum polarisation without infinities

In honour of Detlef Dürr, we report on a mathematical rigorous computation of the electric vacuum polarisation current and extract the well-known expression for the second order perturbation. Intermediate steps in the presented calculation demonstrate, to the knowledge of the authors for the first time, mathematical rigorous versions of the combined dimensional and Pauli-Villars regularisation schemes. These are employed as computational tools to infer convenient integral representations during the computation. The said second order expression is determined up to a remaining degree of freedom of a real number -- without ill-defined terms from start to end.

math-ph↗
arXiv2021

Variance of voltages in a lattice Coulomb gas

We study the behavior of the variance of the difference of energies for putting an additional electric unit charge at two different locations in the two-dimensional lattice Coulomb gas in the high-temperature regime. For this, we exploit the duality between this model and a discrete Gaussian model. Our estimates follow from a spontaneous symmetry breaking in the latter model.

math.PR↗
arXiv2021

The non-linear supersymmetric hyperbolic sigma model on a complete graph with hierarchical interactions

We study the non-linear supersymmetric hyperbolic sigma model $H^{2|2}$ on a complete graph with hierarchical interactions. For interactions which do not decrease too fast in the hierarchical distance, we prove tightness of certain spin variables in horospherical coordinates, uniformly in the pinning and in the size of the graph. The proof relies on a reduction to an effective $H^{2|2}$ model; its size is logarithmic in the size of the original model.

math.PR↗
arXiv2019

Dislocation lines in three-dimensional solids at low temperature

We propose a model for three-dimensional solids on a mesoscopic scale with a statistical mechanical description of dislocation lines in thermal equilibrium. The model has a linearized rotational symmetry, which is broken by boundary conditions. We show that this symmetry is spontaneously broken in the thermodynamic limit at small positive temperatures.

math-ph↗
arXiv2019

Random interlacements for vertex-reinforced jump processes

We introduce random interlacements for transient vertex-reinforced jump processes on a general graph $G$. Using increasing finite subgraphs $G_n$ of $G$ with wired boundary conditions, we show convergence of the vertex-reinforced jump process on $G_n$ observed in a finite window to the random interlacement observed in the same window.

math.PR↗
arXiv2019

Convergence of vertex-reinforced jump processes to an extension of the supersymmetric hyperbolic nonlinear sigma model

In this paper, we define an extension of the supersymmetric hyperbolic nonlinear sigma model introduced by Zirnbauer. We show that it arises as a weak joint limit of a time-changed version introduced by Sabot and Tarrès of the vertex-reinforced jump process. It describes the asymptotics of rescaled crossing numbers, rescaled fluctuations of local times, asymptotic local times on a logarithmic scale, endpoints of paths, and last exit trees.

math.PR↗
arXiv2017

Martingales and some generalizations arising from the supersymmetric hyperbolic sigma model

We introduce a family of real random variables $(β,θ)$ arising from the supersymmetric nonlinear sigma model and containing the family $β$ introduced by Sabot, Tarrès, and Zeng [STZ17] in the context of the vertex-reinforced jump process. Using this family we construct an exponential martingale generalizing the one considered in [DMR17]. Moreover, using the full supersymmetric nonlinear sigma model we also construct a generalization of the exponential martingale involving Grassmann variables.

math.PR↗
arXiv2015

A supersymmetric approach to martingales related to the vertex-reinforced jump process

Sabot and Zeng have discovered two martingales, one of which played a key role in their investigation of the vertex-reinforced jump process. Starting from the related supersymmetric hyperbolic sigma model, we give an alternative derivation of these two martingales. They turn out to be the first two instances in an infinite hierarchy of martingales, derived from a generating function.

math.PR↗
arXiv2015

A comparison of the nonlinear sigma model with general pinning and pinning at one point

We study the nonlinear supersymmetric hyperbolic sigma model introduced by Zirnbauer in 1991. This model can be related to the mixing measure of a vertex- reinforced jump process. We prove that the two-point correlation function has a probabilistic interpretation in terms of connectivity in rooted random spanning forests. Using this interpretation, we dominate the two-point correlation function for general pinning, e.g. for uniform pinning, with the corresponding correlation function with pinning at one point. The result holds for a general finite graph, asymptotically as the strength of the pinning converges to zero. Specializing this to general ladder graphs, we deduce in the same asymptotic regime exponential decay of correlations for general pinning.

math.PR↗
arXiv2013

Localization for a nonlinear sigma model in a strip related to vertex reinforced jump processes

We study a lattice sigma model which is expected to reflect Anderson localization and delocalization transition for real symmetric band matrices in 3D, but describes the mixing measure for a vertex reinforced jump process too. For this model we prove exponential localization at any temperature in a strip, and more generally in any quasi-one dimensional graph, with pinning (mass) at only one site. The proof uses a Mermin-Wagner type argument and a transfer operator approach.

math-ph↗
arXiv2010

Computational aspects of modular forms and Galois representations

This is a book about computational aspects of modular forms and the Galois representations attached to them. The main result is the following: Galois representations over finite fields attached to modular forms of level one can, in almost all cases, be computed in polynomial time in the weight and the size of the finite field. As a consequence, coefficients of modular forms can be computed fast via congruences, as in Schoof's algorithm for the number of points of elliptic curves over finite fields. The most important feature of the proof of the main result is that exact computations involving systems of polynomial equations in many variables are avoided by approximations and height bounds, i.e., bounds for the accuracy that is necessary to derive exact values from the approximations.

math.NT↗
arXiv2009

Recurrence of edge-reinforced random walk on a two-dimensional graph

We consider a linearly edge-reinforced random walk on a class of two-dimensional graphs with constant initial weights. The graphs are obtained from $\mathbb{Z}^2$ by replacing every edge by a sufficiently large, but fixed number of edges in series. We prove that the linearly edge-reinforced random walk on these graphs is recurrent. Furthermore, we derive bounds for the probability that the edge-reinforced random walk hits the boundary of a large box before returning to its starting point.

math.PR↗
arXiv2007

Optimal third root asymptotic bounds in the statistical estimation of thresholds

This paper is concerned with estimating the intersection point of two densities, given a sample of both of the densities. This problem arises in classification theory. The main results provide lower bounds for the probability of the estimation errors to be large on a scale determined by the inverse cube root of the sample size. As corollaries, we obtain probabilistic bounds for the prediction error in a classification problem. The key to the proof is an entropy estimate. The lower bounds are based on bounds for general estimators, which are applicable in other contexts as well. Furthermore, we introduce a class of optimal estimators whose errors asymptotically meet the border permitted by the lower bounds.

math.ST↗
arXiv2007

Asymptotic behavior of edge-reinforced random walks

In this article, we study linearly edge-reinforced random walk on general multi-level ladders for large initial edge weights. For infinite ladders, we show that the process can be represented as a random walk in a random environment, given by random weights on the edges. The edge weights decay exponentially in space. The process converges to a stationary process. We provide asymptotic bounds for the range of the random walker up to a given time, showing that it localizes much more than an ordinary random walker. The random environment is described in terms of an infinite-volume Gibbs measure.

math.PR↗