In probability theory, the matrix geometric method is a method for the analysis of quasi-birth–death processes, continuous-time Markov chain whose transition rate matrix has a repetitive block structure. The method was developed "largely by Marcel F. Neuts and his students starting around 1975."

Method description

The method requires a transition rate matrix with tridiagonal block structure as follows

Q = ( B 00 B 01 B 10 A 1 A 2 A 0 A 1 A 2 A 0 A 1 A 2 A 0 A 1 A 2 ⋱ ⋱ ⋱ ) {\displaystyle Q={\begin{pmatrix}B_{00}&B_{01}\\B_{10}&A_{1}&A_{2}\\&A_{0}&A_{1}&A_{2}\\&&A_{0}&A_{1}&A_{2}\\&&&A_{0}&A_{1}&A_{2}\\&&&&\ddots &\ddots &\ddots \end{pmatrix}}}

where each of B00, B01, B10, A0, A1 and A2 are matrices. To compute the stationary distribution π writing πQ=0 the balance equations are considered for sub-vectors πi

π 0 B 00 + π 1 B 10 = 0 π 0 B 01 + π 1 A 1 + π 2 A 0 = 0 π 1 A 2 + π 2 A 1 + π 3 A 0 = 0 ⋮ π i − 1 A 2 + π i A 1 + π i + 1 A 0 = 0 ⋮ {\displaystyle {\begin{aligned}\pi _{0}B_{00}+\pi _{1}B_{10}&=0\\\pi _{0}B_{01}+\pi _{1}A_{1}+\pi _{2}A_{0}&=0\\\pi _{1}A_{2}+\pi _{2}A_{1}+\pi _{3}A_{0}&=0\\&\vdots \\\pi _{i-1}A_{2}+\pi _{i}A_{1}+\pi _{i+1}A_{0}&=0\\&\vdots \\\end{aligned}}}

Observe that the relationship

π i = π 1 R i − 1 {\displaystyle \pi _{i}=\pi _{1}R^{i-1}}

holds where R is the Neuts' rate matrix, which can be computed numerically. Using this we write

( π 0 π 1 ) ( B 00 B 01 B 10 A 1 + R A 0 ) = ( 0 0 ) {\displaystyle {\begin{aligned}{\begin{pmatrix}\pi _{0}&\pi _{1}\end{pmatrix}}{\begin{pmatrix}B_{00}&B_{01}\\B_{10}&A_{1}+RA_{0}\end{pmatrix}}={\begin{pmatrix}0&0\end{pmatrix}}\end{aligned}}}

which can be solve to find π0 and π1 and therefore iteratively all the πi.

Computation of R

The matrix R can be computed using cyclic reduction or logarithmic reduction.

Matrix analytic method

The matrix analytic method is a more complicated version of the matrix geometric solution method used to analyse models with block M/G/1 matrices. Such models are harder because no relationship like πi=π1Ri–1 used above holds.

External links

  • by William J. Stewart at 7th International School on Formal Methods for the Design of Computer, Communication and Software Systems: Performance Evaluation