Dependent particle deposition on a graph: concentration properties of the height profile

Abstract

We present classes of models in which particles are dropped on an arbitrary fixed finite connected graph, obeying adhesion rules with screening. We prove that there is an invariant distribution for the resulting height profile, and Gaussian concentration for functions depending on the paths of the profiles. As a corollary we obtain a law of large numbers for the maximum height. This describes the asymptotic speed with which the maximal height increases. The results incorporate the case of independent particle droppings but extend to droppings according to a driving Markov chain, and to droppings with possible deposition below the top layer up to a fixed finite depth, obeying a non-nullness condition for the screening rule. The proof is based on an analysis of the Markov chain on height-profiles using coupling methods. We construct a finite communicating set of configurations of profiles to which the chain keeps returning.