A fixed-point approximation for a routing model in equilibrium

We use a method of Luczak (arXiv:1212.3231) to investigate the equilibrium distribution of a dynamic routing model on a network. In this model, there are $n$ nodes, each pair joined by a link of capacity $C$. For each pair of nodes, calls arrive for this pair of endpoints as a Poisson process with rate $\lambda$. A call for endpoints $\{u,v\}$ is routed directly onto the link between the two nodes if there is spare capacity; otherwise $d$ two-link paths between $u$ and $v$ are considered, and the call is routed along a path with lowest maximum load, if possible. The duration of each call is an exponential random variable with unit mean. In the case $d=1$, it was suggested by Gibbens, Hunt and Kelly in 1990 that the equilibrium of this process is related to the fixed points of a certain equation. We show that this is indeed the case, for every $d \ge 1$, provided the arrival rate $\lambda$ is either sufficiently small or sufficiently large. In either regime, we show that the equation has a unique fixed point, and that, in equilibrium, for each $j$, the proportion of links at each node with load $j$ is strongly concentrated around the $j$th coordinate of the fixed point.Comment: 33 page

The structure of random discrete spacetime

The usual picture of spacetime consists of a continuous manifold, together with a metric of Lorentzian signature which imposes a causal structure on the spacetime. A model, first suggested by Bombelli et al., is considered in which spacetime consists of a discrete set of points taken at random from a manifold, with only the causal structure on this set remaining. This structure constitutes a partially ordered set (or poset). Working from the poset alone, it is shown how to construct a metric on the space which closely approximates the metric on the original spacetime manifold, how to define the effective dimension of the spacetime, and how such quantities may depend on the scale of measurement. Possible desirable features of the model are discussed

A 2D model of Causal Set Quantum Gravity: The emergence of the continuum

Non-perturbative theories of quantum gravity inevitably include configurations that fail to resemble physically reasonable spacetimes at large scales. Often, these configurations are entropically dominant and pose an obstacle to obtaining the desired classical limit. We examine this "entropy problem" in a model of causal set quantum gravity corresponding to a discretisation of 2D spacetimes. Using results from the theory of partial orders we show that, in the large volume or continuum limit, its partition function is dominated by causal sets which approximate to a region of 2D Minkowski space. This model of causal set quantum gravity thus overcomes the entropy problem and predicts the emergence of a physically reasonable geometry.Comment: Corrections and clarifications. Conclusions unchange

Long-term concentration of measure and cut-off

We present new concentration of measure inequalities for Markov chains that enjoy a contractive property. We apply our discrete-time inequality to the well-studied Bernoulli-Laplace model of diffusion, and give a probabilistic proof of cut-off, recovering the optimal bounds of Diaconis and Shahshahani. We also extend the notion of cut-off to chains with an infinite state space, and illustrate this in a second example, of a two-host model of disease in continuous time.Comment: 36 page

Reorientations of covering graphs

AbstractThe aim of this paper is to construct a graph G on n vertices which is a connected covering graph but has 2o(n) diagram orientations. This provides a negative answer to a question of I. Rival

Asymptotic Enumeration of Labelled Interval Orders

Building on work by Zagier, Bousquet-M\'elou et al., and Khamis, we give an asymptotic formula for the number of labelled interval orders on an $n$-element set.Comment: 6 page

The Reversal Ratio of a Poset

Felsner and Reuter introduced the linear extension diameter of a partially ordered set $\mathbf{P}$, denoted \mbox{led}(\mathbf{P}), as the maximum distance between two linear extensions of $\mathbf{P}$, where distance is defined to be the number of incomparable pairs appearing in opposite orders (reversed) in the linear extensions. In this paper, we introduce the reversal ratio $RR(\mathbf{P})$ of $\mathbf{P}$ as the ratio of the linear extension diameter to the number of (unordered) incomparable pairs. We use probabilistic techniques to provide a family of posets $\mathbf{P}_k$ on at most $k\log k$ elements for which the reversal ratio $RR(\mathbf{P}_k)\leq C/\log k$, where $C$ is a constant. We also examine the questions of bounding the reversal ratio in terms of order dimension and width.Comment: 10 pages, 2 figures; Accepted for publication in ORDE