Grundlehren der mathematischen Wissenschaften

3 primary works

Markov Chains with Stationary Transition Probabilities

by Kai Lai Chung

Published 1 January 1960

The theory of Markov chains, although a special case of Markov processes, is here developed for its own sake and presented on its own merits. In general, the hypothesis of a denumerable state space, which is the defining hypothesis of what we call a "chain" here, generates more clear-cut questions and demands more precise and definitive an swers. For example, the principal limit theorem ( 1. 6, II. 10), still the object of research for general Markov processes, is here in its neat final form; and the strong Markov property ( 11. 9) is here always applicable. While probability theory has advanced far enough that a degree of sophistication is needed even in the limited context of this book, it is still possible here to keep the proportion of definitions to theorems relatively low. . From the standpoint of the general theory of stochastic processes, a continuous parameter Markov chain appears to be the first essentially discontinuous process that has been studied in some detail. It is common that the sample functions of such a chain have discontinuities worse than jumps, and these baser discontinuities play a central role in the theory, of which the mystery remains to be completely unraveled. In this connection the basic concepts of separability and measurability, which are usually applied only at an early stage of the discussion to establish a certain smoothness of the sample functions, are here applied constantly as indispensable tools.

Markov Chains

by Kai Lai Chung

Published 1 January 1967

From the reviews: J. Neveu, 1962 in Zentralblatt fur Mathematik, 92.Band Heft 2, p. 343: "Ce livre ecrit par l'un des plus eminents specialistes en la matiere, est un expose tres detaille de la theorie des processus de Markov definis sur un espace denombrable d'etats et homogenes dans le temps (chaines stationnaires de Markov)." N.Jain, 2008 in Selected Works of Kai Lai Chung, edited by Farid AitSahlia (University of Florida, USA), Elton Hsu (Northwestern University, USA), & Ruth Williams (University of California-San Diego, USA), Chapter 1, p. 15: "This monograph deals with countable state Markov chains in both discrete time (Part I) and continuous time (Part II). [...] Much of Kai Lai's fundamental work in the field is included in this monograph. Here, for the first time, Kai Lai gave a systematic exposition of the subject which includes classification of states, ratio ergodic theorems, and limit theorems for functionals of the chain."

Markov Processes, Brownian Motion, and Time Symmetry

by Kai Lai Chung and John B. Walsh

Published 1 January 2005

From the reviews of the First Edition:

"This excellent book is based on several sets of lecture notes written over a decade and has its origin in a one-semester course given by the author at the ETH, Zürich, in the spring of 1970. The author's aim was to present some of the best features of Markov processes and, in particular, of Brownian motion with a minimum of prerequisites and technicalities. The reader who becomes acquainted with the volume cannot but agree with the reviewer that the author was very successful in accomplishing this goal…The volume is very useful for people who wish to learn Markov processes but it seems to the reviewer that it is also of great interest to specialists in this area who could derive much stimulus from it. One can be convinced that it will receive wide circulation." (Mathematical Reviews)

This new edition contains 9 new chapters which include new exercises, references, and multiple corrections throughout the original text.