Large tandem queueing networks with blocking (Q1605045)

An infinite system of queues is considered, such that queue 0 has infinite capacity and queues \(1,2,\ldots\) finite capacity \(c\) and a maximal number \(b\) of already served customers allowed to stay at the queue (otherwise queues \(0,1,2,\ldots\) are identical). First a functional limit theorem for the \(D(n,k)\), the departure time of customer \(n\) from queue \(k\), is given and describe informally the front wave of customers moving through an initial empty system. The result is the same as the corresponding infinite capacity result derived by Glynn and Whitt (1991). Next stochastic monotonicity properties of waiting time sequences are given. Finally the existence of a growth function \(\gamma(x)\) such that \(D(\lfloor xk\rfloor,k)/k\to\gamma(x)\) as \(k\to\infty\) is shown. The proofs involve recurrence relations, paths representations and results on so-called greedy lattice animals. Also the connection to certain types of percolation is discussed.