A generalised inductive approach to the lace expansion (Q1599523)

The asymptotical properties of random walks in \({\mathbb Z}^d\) with i.i.d.\ steps (such as validity of a CLT or a local CLT) are often deduced from the recursive equations relating \(n\)-step transition functions (t.f.) to \((n-1)\)-step t.f. For some lattice models with interaction (e.g., self-avoiding walks or oriented percolation) such simple equations cannot hold because of the intrinsic dependencies present in the system; however, the (combinatorial) method of lace expansion can be used to relate the \(n\)-step connectivities to the connectivities of all previous generations. A special structure of these relations makes possible an inductive approach -- e.g., as developed for the case of weakly self-avoiding walks in \({\mathbb Z}^d\) by \textit{F.~den~Hollander} and the authors [Probab.\ Theory Relat.\ Fields 111, No.~2, 253-286 (1998; Zbl 0906.60078)]. In the present paper, the authors extend the previous analysis to a class of models satisfying certain four assumptions and obtain a Gaussian asymptotics for the corresponding connectivities. These assumptions seem to be natural for a class of applications but are model-dependent and as such require a special verification in each particular case (e.g., the authors refer to their separate works where such properties are established in the cases of sufficiently spread-out models of self-avoiding walks on \({\mathbb Z}^d\) and critical oriented bond percolation on \({\mathbb Z}^d\times{\mathbb Z}\)). Modulo these basic assumptions, the further analysis becomes model-independent, which constitutes an important feature of the paper.