arXiv subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Tianyi Zheng.
We show that for finite-range, symmetric random walks on general transient Cayley graphs, the expected occupation time of any given ball of radius $r$ is $O(r^{5/2})$.. We also study the volume-growth property of the wired spanning forests on general Cayley graphs, showing that the expected number of vertices in the component of the identity inside any given ball of radius $r$ is $O(r^{11/2})$.
We obtain an analogue of the prime number theorem for a class of branched covering maps on the $2$-sphere called expanding Thurston maps $f$, which are topological models of some rational maps without any smoothness or holomorphicity assumption. More precisely, by studying dynamical zeta functions and, more generally, dynamical Dirichlet series for $f$, we show that the number of primitive periodic orbits of $f$, ordered by a weight on each point induced by a non-constant (eventually) positive real-valued Hölder continuous function $ϕ$ on $S^2$ satisfying some additional regularity conditions, is asymptotically the same as the well-known logarithmic integral, with an exponential error term. Such a result, known as a Prime Orbit Theorem, follows from our quantitative study of the holomorphic extension properties of the associated dynamical zeta functions and dynamical Dirichlet series. In particular, the above result applies to postcritically-finite rational maps whose Julia set is the whole Riemann sphere. Moreover, we prove that the regularity conditions needed here are generic; and for a Lattès map $f$ and a continuously differentiable (eventually) positive function $ϕ$, such a Prime Orbit Theorem holds if and only if $ϕ$ is not co-homologous to a constant.
We introduce the discrete affine group of a regular tree as a finitely generated subgroup of the affine group. We describe the Poisson boundary of random walks on it as a space of configurations. We compute isoperimetric profile and Hilbert compression exponent of the group. We also discuss metric relationship with some lamplighter groups and lamplighter graphs.
We show that every finitely generated extension by $\mathbb{Z}$ of a locally normally finite group has Shalom's property $H_{\mathrm{FD}}$. This is no longer true without the normality assumption. This permits to answer some questions of Shalom, Erschler-Ozawa and Kozma. We also obtain a Neumann-Neumann embedding result that any countable locally finite group embedds into a two generated amenable group with property $H_{\mathrm{FD}}$.
Let $μ$ be a symmetric probability measure of finite entropy on a group $G$. We show that if $-\log μ^{(2n)}(id)=o(n^{1/2})$, then the pair $(G,μ)$ has the Liouville property (all bounded $μ$-harmonic functions on $G$ are constant). Furthermore, if $-\log μ^{(2n)}(id)=O(n^β)$ where $β\in(0,1/2)$, then the entropy of the $n$-fold convolution power $μ^{(n)}$ satisfies $H(μ^{(n)})=O\left(n^{\fracβ{1-β}}\right)$. This improves earlier results of Gournay and of Saloff-Coste and the second author. We extend the bounds to transitive graphs and illustrate their sharpness on a family of groups.
We provide equivalent conditions for Liouville property of actions of groups. As an application, we show that there is a Liouville measure for the action of the Thompson group $F$ on dyadic rationals. This result should be compared with a recent result of Kaimanovich, where he shows that the action of the Thompson group F on dyadic rationals is not Liouville for all finitely supported measures. As another application we show that there is a Liouville measure for lamplighter actions. This gives more examples of non-amenable Liouville actions.
We give a solution to the inverse problem (given a function, find a corresponding group) for large classes of speed, entropy, isoperimetric profile, return probability and $L_p$-compression functions of finitely generated groups of exponential volume growth. For smaller classes, we give solutions among solvable groups. As corollaries, we prove a recent conjecture of Amir on joint evaluation of speed and entropy exponents and we obtain a new proof of the existence of uncountably many pairwise non-quasi-isometric solvable groups, originally due to Cornulier and Tessera. We also obtain a formula relating the $L_p$-compression exponent of a group and its wreath product with the cyclic group for $p$ in $[1,2]$.
We study the isoperimetric profiles of certain families of finitely generated groups defined via marked Schreier graphs and permutation wreath products. The groups we study are among the "simplest" examples within a much larger class of groups, all defined via marked Schreier graphs and/or action on rooted trees, which includes such examples as the long range group, Grigorchuck group and the basillica group. The highly non-linear structure of these groups make them both interesting and difficult to study. Because of the relative simplicity of the Schreier graphs that define the groups we study here (the key fact is that they contained very large regions that are "one dimensional"), we are able to obtain sharp explicit bounds on the $L^1$ and $L^2$ isoperimetric profiles of these groups. As usual, these sharp isoperimetric profile estimates provide sharp bounds on the probability of return of simple random walk. Nevertheless, within each of the families of groups we study there are also many cases for which the existing techniques appear inadequate and this leads to a variety of open problems.
Let $G$ be a finitely generated group of polynomial volume growth equipped with a word-length $|\cdot|$. The goal of this paper is to develop techniques to study the behavior of random walks driven by symmetric measures $μ$ such that, for any $ε>0$, $\sum|\cdot|^εμ=\infty$. In particular, we provide a sharp lower bound for the return probability in the case when $μ$ has a finite weak-logarithmic moment.
Let $G$ be a finitely generated group equipped with a finite symmetric generating set and the associated word length function $|\cdot |$. We study the behavior of the probability of return for random walks driven by symmetric measures $μ$ that are such that $\sum ρ(|x|)μ(x)<\infty$ for increasing regularly varying or slowly varying functions $ρ$, for instance, $s\mapsto (1+s)^α$, $α\in (0,2]$, or $s\mapsto (1+\log (1+s))^ε$, $ε>0$. For this purpose we develop new relations between the isoperimetric profiles associated with different symmetric probability measures. These techniques allow us to obtain a sharp $L^2$-version of Erschler's inequality concerning the Følner functions of wreath products. Examples and assorted applications are included.
Let $G$ be a finitely generated group equipped with a symmetric generating $% k $-tuple $S$. Let $|\cdot|$ and $V$ be the associated word length and volume growth function. Let $ν$ be a probability measure such that $% ν(g)\simeq [(1+|g|)^2V(|g|)]^{-1}$. We prove that if $G$ has polynomial volume growth then $ν^{(n)}(e) \simeq V(\sqrt{n\log n})^{-1}$. We also obtain assorted estimates for other spread-out probability measures.
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.
For any finitely generated group G, let n ---> Φ_G(n) be the function that describes the rough asymptotic behavior of the probability of return to the identity element at time 2n of a symmetric simple random walk on G (this is an invariant of quasi-isometry). We determine this function when G is the free solvable group S_{d,r} of derived length d on r generators and some other related groups.
We study the decay of convolution powers of a large family $μ_{S,a}$ of measures on finitely generated nilpotent groups. Here, $S=(s_1,...,s_k)$ is a generating $k$-tuple of group elements and $a= (α_1,...,α_k)$ is a $k$-tuple of reals in the interval $(0,2)$. The symmetric measure $μ_{S,a}$ is supported by $S^*=\{s_i^{m}, 1\le i\le k,\,m\in \mathbb Z\}$ and gives probability proportional to $$(1+m)^{-α_i-1}$$ to $s_i^{\pm m}$, $i=1,...,k,$ $m\in \mathbb N$. We determine the behavior of the probability of return $μ_{S,a}^{(n)}(e)$ as $n$ tends to infinity. This behavior depends in somewhat subtle ways on interactions between the $k$-tuple $a$ and the positions of the generators $s_i$ within the lower central series $G_{j}=[G_{j-1},G]$, $G_1=G$.