2,629 research outputs found
Subgeometric ergodicity of strong Markov processes
We derive sufficient conditions for subgeometric f-ergodicity of strongly
Markovian processes. We first propose a criterion based on modulated moment of
some delayed return-time to a petite set. We then formulate a criterion for
polynomial f-ergodicity in terms of a drift condition on the generator.
Applications to specific processes are considered, including Langevin tempered
diffusions on R^n and storage models.Comment: Published at http://dx.doi.org/10.1214/105051605000000115 in the
Annals of Applied Probability (http://www.imstat.org/aap/) by the Institute
of Mathematical Statistics (http://www.imstat.org
Convergence of adaptive and interacting Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithms
Adaptive and interacting Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithms (MCMC) have been
recently introduced in the literature. These novel simulation algorithms are
designed to increase the simulation efficiency to sample complex distributions.
Motivated by some recently introduced algorithms (such as the adaptive
Metropolis algorithm and the interacting tempering algorithm), we develop a
general methodological and theoretical framework to establish both the
convergence of the marginal distribution and a strong law of large numbers.
This framework weakens the conditions introduced in the pioneering paper by
Roberts and Rosenthal [J. Appl. Probab. 44 (2007) 458--475]. It also covers the
case when the target distribution is sampled by using Markov transition
kernels with a stationary distribution that differs from .Comment: Published in at http://dx.doi.org/10.1214/11-AOS938 the Annals of
Statistics (http://www.imstat.org/aos/) by the Institute of Mathematical
Statistics (http://www.imstat.org
Efficiency of the Wang-Landau algorithm: a simple test case
We analyze the efficiency of the Wang-Landau algorithm to sample a multimodal
distribution on a prototypical simple test case. We show that the exit time
from a metastable state is much smaller for the Wang Landau dynamics than for
the original standard Metropolis-Hastings algorithm, in some asymptotic regime.
Our results are confirmed by numerical experiments on a more realistic test
case
Improving the health of African American men: experiences from the Targeting Cancer in Blacks (TCiB) Project
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jmhg.2007.07.04
Thermal Expansion and Magnetostriction Studies of a Kondo Lattice Compound: Ceagsb2
We have investigated a single crystal of CeAgSb2 using low field
ac-susceptibility, thermal expansion and magnetostriction measurements in the
temperature range 1.5K to 90K. The ac-susceptibility exhibits a sharp peak at
9.7K for both B//c and B perp c due to the magnetic ordering of the Ce moment.
The thermal expansion coefficient alpha, exhibits highly anisotropic behaviour
between 3K and 80K : alpha is positive for dL/L perp c, but negative for dL/L
// c. Furthermore, alpha (for dL/L) perp c (i.e. in ab-plane) exhibits a sharp
peak at TN followed by a broad maximum at 20K, while a sharp negative peak at
TN followed by a minimum at 20K has been observed for (dL/L //) the c
direction. The observed maximum and minimum in alpha(T) at 20K have been
attributed to the crystalline field effect on the J=5/2 state of the Ce3+ ion.
The magnetostriction also exhibits anisotropic behaviour with a large
magnetostriction along the c-axis. The ab-plane magnetostriction exhibits a
peak at B=3.3T at 3K, which is consistent with the observed peak in the
magnetoresistance measurements.Comment: 4 Pages (B5), 3 figures, submitted to SCES200
The SDSS Damped Lya Survey: Data Release 1
We present the results from an automated search for damped Lya (DLA) systems
in the quasar spectra of Data Release 1 from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey
(SDSS-DR1). At z~2.5, this homogeneous dataset has greater statistical
significance than the previous two decades of research. We derive a statistical
sample of 71 damped Lya systems (>50 previously unpublished) at z>2.1 and
measure HI column densities directly from the SDSS spectra. The number of DLA
systems per unit redshift is consistent with previous measurements and we
expect our survey has >95% completeness. We examine the cosmological baryonic
mass density of neutral gas Omega_g inferred from the damped Lya systems from
the SDSS-DR1 survey and a combined sample drawn from the literature. Contrary
to previous results, the Omega_g values do not require a significant correction
from Lyman limit systems at any redshift. We also find that the Omega_g values
for the SDSS-DR1 sample do not decline at high redshift and the combined sample
shows a (statistically insignificant) decrease only at z>4. Future data
releases from SDSS will provide the definitive survey of DLA systems at z~2.5
and will significantly reduce the uncertainty in Omega_g at higher redshift.Comment: 12 pages, includes color figures. Accepted to PASP, April 20 200
Polynomial ergodicity of Markov transition kernels
AbstractThis paper discusses quantitative bounds on the convergence rates of Markov chains, under conditions implying polynomial convergence rates. This paper extends an earlier work by Roberts and Tweedie (Stochastic Process. Appl. 80(2) (1999) 211), which provides quantitative bounds for the total variation norm under conditions implying geometric ergodicity.Explicit bounds for the total variation norm are obtained by evaluating the moments of an appropriately defined coupling time, using a set of drift conditions, adapted from an earlier work by Tuominen and Tweedie (Adv. Appl. Probab. 26(3) (1994) 775). Applications of this result are then presented to study the convergence of random walk Hastings Metropolis algorithm for super-exponential target functions and of general state-space models. Explicit bounds for f-ergodicity are also given, for an appropriately defined control function f
Connecting dissipation and phase slips in a Josephson junction between fermionic superfluids
We study the emergence of dissipation in an atomic Josephson junction between
weakly-coupled superfluid Fermi gases. We find that vortex-induced phase
slippage is the dominant microscopic source of dissipation across the BEC-BCS
crossover. We explore different dynamical regimes by tuning the bias chemical
potential between the two superfluid reservoirs. For small excitations, we
observe dissipation and phase coherence to coexist, with a resistive current
followed by well-defined Josephson oscillations. We link the junction transport
properties to the phase-slippage mechanism, finding that vortex nucleation is
primarily responsible for the observed trends of conductance and critical
current. For large excitations, we observe the irreversible loss of coherence
between the two superfluids, and transport cannot be described only within an
uncorrelated phase-slip picture. Our findings open new directions for
investigating the interplay between dissipative and superfluid transport in
strongly correlated Fermi systems, and general concepts in out-of-equlibrium
quantum systems.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures + Supplemental Materia
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