Award Abstract # 2246727
RUI: Boundary and entropy of random walks on groups

NSF Org: DMS
Division Of Mathematical Sciences
Recipient: COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON
Initial Amendment Date: August 21, 2023
Latest Amendment Date: August 21, 2023
Award Number: 2246727
Award Instrument: Standard Grant
Program Manager: Elizabeth Wilmer
ewilmer@nsf.gov
 (703)292-7021
DMS
 Division Of Mathematical Sciences
MPS
 Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences
Start Date: September 1, 2023
End Date: August 31, 2026 (Estimated)
Total Intended Award Amount: $216,503.00
Total Awarded Amount to Date: $216,503.00
Funds Obligated to Date: FY 2023 = $216,503.00
History of Investigator:
  • Behrang Forghani (Principal Investigator)
    forghanib@cofc.edu
Recipient Sponsored Research Office: College of Charleston
66 GEORGE ST
CHARLESTON
SC  US  29424-0001
(843)953-4973
Sponsor Congressional District: 06
Primary Place of Performance: College of Charleston
66 GEORGE ST
CHARLESTON
SC  US  29424-0001
Primary Place of Performance
Congressional District:
06
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): SWV9EK5S9BX5
Parent UEI: WQBBJ8B941M5
NSF Program(s): PROBABILITY,
EPSCoR Co-Funding
Primary Program Source: 01002324DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
Program Reference Code(s): 9150, 9229
Program Element Code(s): 126300, 915000
Award Agency Code: 4900
Fund Agency Code: 4900
Assistance Listing Number(s): 47.049, 47.083

ABSTRACT

Applications of random walks emerge in different branches of science and our daily life. In game theory, random walks can model shuffling a deck of cards to find optimal shuffle iterations. In finance, the unpredictability of price changes of stocks can be modeled by random walks. The project will apply rigorous mathematical tools for studying the long-term behavior of random walks. In particular, the following two problems will be investigated: first, how geometric or algebraic features can capture the long-term behavior of random walks. Second, how different quantities can describe the long-term behavior of a random walk. The research will engage undergraduate and graduate students. This engagement with students exposes them to contemporary areas of mathematics not part of the regular curriculum.

The work will expand and refine existing results on random walk invariants such as boundaries and asymptotic entropies. These arise from the interaction between random walks on groups and their algebraic or geometric structures. The project will improve understanding of the Poisson boundary, which provides a representation of bounded harmonic functions on a group for a given probability measure. The current work will leverage recent developments, such as the theory of pivotal times, to identify the Poisson boundary of random walks on hyperbolic-like groups. Another goal is to investigate connections between quotients of the Poisson boundaries with subgroups of a given group. The area of research has strong connections to geometric group theory, ergodic theory, and information theory. This project is jointly funded by the DMS Probability program and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR).

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

Please report errors in award information by writing to: awardsearch@nsf.gov.

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