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  • © 2013

Quasi-Stationary Distributions

Markov Chains, Diffusions and Dynamical Systems

  • Deals with an area that has received a lot of attention in last decades
  • Provides numerous examples
  • Focuses on selected topics ?
  • Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

Part of the book series: Probability and Its Applications (PIA)

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Table of contents (8 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages I-XV
  2. Introduction

    • Pierre Collet, Servet Martínez, Jaime San Martín
    Pages 1-15
  3. Quasi-Stationary Distributions: General Results

    • Pierre Collet, Servet Martínez, Jaime San Martín
    Pages 17-29
  4. Markov Chains on Finite Spaces

    • Pierre Collet, Servet Martínez, Jaime San Martín
    Pages 31-44
  5. Markov Chains on Countable Spaces

    • Pierre Collet, Servet Martínez, Jaime San Martín
    Pages 45-68
  6. Birth-and-Death Chains

    • Pierre Collet, Servet Martínez, Jaime San Martín
    Pages 69-111
  7. Regular Diffusions on [0,∞)

    • Pierre Collet, Servet Martínez, Jaime San Martín
    Pages 113-195
  8. Infinity as Entrance Boundary

    • Pierre Collet, Servet Martínez, Jaime San Martín
    Pages 197-226
  9. Dynamical Systems

    • Pierre Collet, Servet Martínez, Jaime San Martín
    Pages 227-268
  10. Back Matter

    Pages 269-280

About this book

Main concepts of quasi-stationary distributions (QSDs) for killed processes are the focus of the present volume. For diffusions, the killing is at the boundary and for dynamical systems there is a trap. The authors present the QSDs as the ones that allow describing the long-term behavior conditioned to not being killed. Studies in this research area started with Kolmogorov and Yaglom and in the last few decades have received a great deal of attention. The authors provide the exponential distribution property of the killing time for QSDs, present the more general result on their existence and study the process of trajectories that survive forever. For birth-and-death chains and diffusions, the existence of a single or a continuum of QSDs is described. They study the convergence to the extremal QSD and give the classification of the survival process. In this monograph, the authors discuss Gibbs QSDs for symbolic systems and absolutely continuous QSDs for repellers.

The findingsdescribed are relevant to researchers in the fields of Markov chains, diffusions, potential theory, dynamical systems, and in areas where extinction is a central concept. The theory is illustrated with numerous examples. The volume uniquely presents the distribution behavior of individuals who survive in a decaying population for a very long time. It also provides the background for applications in mathematical ecology, statistical physics, computer sciences, and economics.

Reviews

From the reviews:

“This book puts together several important contributions of the authors to the field. … the writing is pedagogical and provides a timely and varied introduction to a subject which is increasingly attracting its due attention. … it should serve as a useful basis for further research.” (Laurent Miclo, Mathematical Reviews, September, 2013)

“The authors of the book have made remarkable contributions to this topic of research, and this book cultivates their work to date. … The authors of the book are leading experts in the area, and they made all the effort to make the book accessible to everyone, from graduate students to researchers, working in this area. … I have never seen a book which is devoted only to the study of QSD and which covers both Markov process and dynamical systems.” (Wael Bahsoun, SIAM Review, Vol. 55 (4), 2013)

“The monograph under review is a thorough study of QSDs and related concepts for Markov chains, diffusions and dynamical systems. … The exposition of the chosen material is well-organized and proofs are mostly given in complete detail. Historical references are scattered throughout the text. The book will be very useful to researchers and graduate students who want to learn more about the subject, as well as to the experts in the field.” (Zoran Vondraček, Zentralblatt MATH, Vol. 1261, 2013)

Authors and Affiliations

  • , Ecole Polytechnique, CNRS et Centre de Physique Théorique, Palaiseau, France

    Pierre Collet

  • Faculty of Mathematical, and Physical Sciences, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile

    Servet Martínez, Jaime San Martín

Bibliographic Information

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access