arXiv subjects

Wolfgang Woess

Publications and source records attributed to Wolfgang Woess.

42 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2005

The spectrum of the averaging operator on a network (metric graph)

A network is a countable, connected graph X viewed as a one-complex, where each edge [x,y]=[y,x] (x,y in X^0, the vertex set) is a copy of the unit interval within the graph's one-skeleton X^1 and is assigned a positive conductance c(xy). A reference "Lebesgue" measure on X^1 is built up by using Lebesgue measure with total mass c(xy) on each edge [x,y]. There are three natural operators on X : the transition operator P acting on functions on X^0 (the reversible Markov chain associated with the conductances), the averaging operator A over spheres of radius 1 on X^1, and the Laplace operator on X^1 (with Kirchhoff conditions weighted by c(.) at the vertices). The relation between the l^2-spectrum of P and the H^2-spectrum of the Laplacian was described by Cattaneo (Mh. Math. 124, 1997). In this paper we describe the relation between the l^2-spectrum of P and the L^2-spectrum of A.

math.FA↗

arXiv2005

Positive harmonic functions for semi-isotropic random walks on trees, lamplighter groups, and DL-graphs

We determine all positive harmonic functions for a large class of "semi-isotropic" random walks on the lamplighter group, i.e., the wreath product of the cyclic group of order q with the infinite cyclic group. This is possible via the geometric realization of a Cayley graph of that group as the Diestel-Leader graph DL(q,q). More generally, DL(q,r) is the horocyclic product of two homogeneous trees with respective degrees $q+1$ and $r+1$, and our result applies to all DL-graphs. This is based on a careful study of the minimal harmonic functions for semi-isotropic walks on trees.

math.PR↗

arXiv2004

Spectral computations on lamplighter groups and Diestel-Leader graphs

The Diestel-Leader graph DL(q,r) is the horocyclic product of the homogeneous trees with respective degrees q+1 and r+1. When q=r, it is the Cayley graph of the lamplighter group (wreath product of the cyclic group of order q with the infinite cyclic group) with respect to a natural generating set. For the "Simple random walk" (SRW) operator on the latter group, Grigorchuk & Zuk and Dicks & Schick have determined the spectrum and the (on-diagonal) spectral measure (Plancherel measure). Here, we show that thanks to the geometric realization, these results can be obtained for all DL-graphs by directly computing an l^2-complete orthonormal system of finitely supported eigenfunctions of the SRW. This allows computation of all matrix elements of the spectral resolution, including the Plancherel measure. As one application, we determine the sharp asymptotic behaviour of the N-step return probabilities of SRW. The spectral computations involve a natural approximating sequence of finite subgraphs, and we study the question whether the cumulative spectral distributions of the latter converge weakly to the Plancherel measure. To this end, we provide a general result regarding Foelner approximations; in the specific case of DL(q,r), the answer is positive only when r=q.

math.GR↗

arXiv2004

Non-backtracking random walks and cogrowth of graphs

Let X be a locally finite, connected graph without vertices of degree 1. Non-backtracking random walk moves at each step with equal probability to one of the "forward" neighbours of the actual state, i.e., it does not go back along the preceding edge to the preceding state. This is not a Markov chain, but can be turned into a Markov chain whose state space is the set of oriented edges of X. Thus we obtain for infinite X that the n-step non-backtracking transition probabilities tend to zero, and we can also compute their limit when X is finite. This provides a short proof of old results concerning cogrowth of groups, and makes the extension of that result to arbitrary regular graphs rigorous. Even when X is non-regular, but "small cycles are dense" in X, we show that the graph X is non-amenable if and only if the non-backtracking n-step transition probabilities decay exponentially fast. This is a partial generalization of the cogrowth criterion for regular graphs which comprises the original cogrowth criterion for finitely generated groups of Grigorchuk and Cohen.

math.PR↗

arXiv2004

Lamplighters, Diestel-Leader graphs, random walks, and harmonic functions

The lamplighter group over $\mathbb Z$ is the wreath product $\mathbb Z_q \wr \mathbb Z$. With respect to a natural generating set, its Cayley graph is the Diestel-Leader graph $DL(q,q)$. We study harmonic functions for the "simple" Laplacian on this graph, and more generally, for a class of random walks on $DL(q,r)$, where $q,r \ge 2$. The DL-graphs are horocyclic products of two trees, and we give a full description of all positive harmonic functions in terms of the boundaries of these two trees. In particular, we determine the minimal Martin boundary, that is, the set of minimal positive harmonic functions.

math.PR↗

arXiv2004

Green kernel estimates and the full Martin boundary for random walks on lamplighter groups and Diestel-Leader graphs

We determine the precise asymptotic behaviour (in space) of the Green kernel of simple random walk with drift on the Diestel-Leader graph $DL(q,r)$, where $q,r \ge 2$. The latter is the horocyclic product of two homogeneous trees with respective degrees $q+1$ and $r+1$. When $q=r$, it is the Cayley graph of the wreath product (lamplighter group) ${\mathbb Z}_q \wr {\mathbb Z}$ with respect to a natural set of generators. We describe the full Martin compactification of these random walks on $DL$-graphs and, in particular, lamplighter groups. This completes and provides a better approach to previous results of Woess, who has determined all minimal positive harmonic functions.

math.PR↗