Markov chains, R\mathscr R-trivial monoids and representation theory

We develop a general theory of Markov chains realizable as random walks on $\mathscr R$-trivial monoids. It provides explicit and simple formulas for the eigenvalues of the transition matrix, for multiplicities of the eigenvalues via M\"obius inversion along a lattice, a condition for diagonalizability of the transition matrix and some techniques for bounding the mixing time. In addition, we discuss several examples, such as Toom-Tsetlin models, an exchange walk for finite Coxeter groups, as well as examples previously studied by the authors, such as nonabelian sandpile models and the promotion Markov chain on posets. Many of these examples can be viewed as random walks on quotients of free tree monoids, a new class of monoids whose combinatorics we develop.Comment: Dedicated to Stuart Margolis on the occasion of his sixtieth birthday; 71 pages; final version to appear in IJA

The linear nature of pseudowords

Given a pseudoword over suitable pseudovarieties, we associate to it a labeled linear order determined by the factorizations of the pseudoword. We show that, in the case of the pseudovariety of aperiodic finite semigroups, the pseudoword can be recovered from the labeled linear order.The work of the first, third, and fourth authors was partly supported by the Pessoa French-Portuguese project “Separation in automata theory: algebraic, logical, and combinatorial aspects”. The work of the first three authors was also partially supported respectively by CMUP (UID/MAT/ 00144/2019), CMUC (UID/MAT/00324/2019), and CMAT (UID/MAT/ 00013/2013), which are funded by FCT (Portugal) with national (MCTES) and European structural funds (FEDER), under the partnership agreement PT2020. The work of the fourth author was partly supported by ANR 2010 BLAN 0202 01 FREC and by the DeLTA project ANR-16-CE40-000

Polycyclic monoids and their generalisations

EPSRC Doctoral Training Account EP/P503647/