Percolation

Percolation theory was initiated some fifty years ago as a mathematical framework for the study of random physical processes such as flow through a disordered porous medium. It has proved to be a remarkably rich theory, with applications beyond natural phenomena to topics such as network modelling. The aims of this book are twofold. First to present classical results in a way that is accessible to non-specialists. Second, to describe, for the first time in a book, recent results of Smirnov in conformal invariance, and outline the proof that the critical probability for random Voronoi percolation in the plane is 1/2. Throughout, the presentation is streamlined, with elegant and straightforward proofs requiring minimal background in probability and graph theory. Numerous examples illustrate the important concepts and enrich the arguments. All-in-all, it will be an essential purchase for mathematicians, physicists, electrical engineers and computer scientists working in this exciting area. "Percolation theory was initiated some fifty years ago as a mathematical framework for the study of random physical processes such as flow through a disordered porous medium. It has proved to be a remarkably rich theory, with applications beyond natural phenomena to topics such as network modelling. The aims of this book, first published in 2006, are twofold. First to present classical results in a way that is accessible to non-specialists. Second, to describe results of Smirnov in conformal invariance, and outline the proof that the critical probability for random Voronoi percolation in the plane is 1/2. Throughout, the presentation is streamlined, with elegant and straightforward proofs requiring minimal background in probability and graph theory. Numerous examples illustrate the important concepts and enrich the arguments. All-in-all, it will be an essential purchase for mathematicians, physicists, electrical engineers and computer scientists working in this exciting area."--Publisher's description "Percolation theory was initiated some 50 years ago as a mathematical framework for the study of random physical processes such as flow through a disordered porous medium. It has proved to be a remarkably rich theory, with applications beyond natural phenomena to topics such as network modelling. The aims of this book are two-fold: first to present classical results in way that is accessible to non-specialists and second, to describe, for the first time in a book, recent results of Smirnov in conformal invariance, and outline the proof that the critical probability for random Voronoi percolation in the plane is 1/2. The presentation is streamlined throughout, with elegant and straightforward proofs requiring minimal background in probability and graph theory. Numerous examples illustrate the important concepts and enrich the arguments. This is an essential purchase for mathematicians, physicists, electrical engineers and computer scientists working in this exciting area."--Page 4 of cover Percolation theory was founded by Broadbent and Hammersley [1957], in order to model the flow of fluid in a porous medium with randomly blocked channels.