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Main Authors: Ajax, Lauren, Durham, Beatrice, Hebbar, Pratima, Johnson, Cade, Zhang, Jiayi
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.09145
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author Ajax, Lauren
Durham, Beatrice
Hebbar, Pratima
Johnson, Cade
Zhang, Jiayi
author_facet Ajax, Lauren
Durham, Beatrice
Hebbar, Pratima
Johnson, Cade
Zhang, Jiayi
contents In this paper, we introduce a novel framework using inhomogeneous Branching Random Walks (BRWs) to model growth processes, specifically introducing genealogy-dependence in branching rates and displacement distributions to model phenomena like bacterial colony growth. Current stochastic models often either assume independent and identical behavior of individual agents or incorporate only spatiotemporal inhomogeneity, ignoring the effect of genealogy-based inhomogeneity on the long-time behavior of these processes. Such long-time asymptotics are of independent mathematical interest and are crucial in understanding the effect of patterns. We propose several inhomogeneous BRW models in 2D space where displacement distributions and branching rates vary with time, space, and genealogy. A combined model then uses a weighted average of positions given by these separate models to study the shape of the growth patterns. Using computer simulations, we tune parameters from these models, which are based on genealogical and spatiotemporal factors, observe the resulting structures, and compare them with images of real bacterial colonies.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2512_09145
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Inhomogeneous Branching Random Walks: Incorporating Genealogy and Density Effects
Ajax, Lauren
Durham, Beatrice
Hebbar, Pratima
Johnson, Cade
Zhang, Jiayi
Populations and Evolution
Probability
60G50, 92B05, 35Q92
In this paper, we introduce a novel framework using inhomogeneous Branching Random Walks (BRWs) to model growth processes, specifically introducing genealogy-dependence in branching rates and displacement distributions to model phenomena like bacterial colony growth. Current stochastic models often either assume independent and identical behavior of individual agents or incorporate only spatiotemporal inhomogeneity, ignoring the effect of genealogy-based inhomogeneity on the long-time behavior of these processes. Such long-time asymptotics are of independent mathematical interest and are crucial in understanding the effect of patterns. We propose several inhomogeneous BRW models in 2D space where displacement distributions and branching rates vary with time, space, and genealogy. A combined model then uses a weighted average of positions given by these separate models to study the shape of the growth patterns. Using computer simulations, we tune parameters from these models, which are based on genealogical and spatiotemporal factors, observe the resulting structures, and compare them with images of real bacterial colonies.
title Inhomogeneous Branching Random Walks: Incorporating Genealogy and Density Effects
topic Populations and Evolution
Probability
60G50, 92B05, 35Q92
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.09145