A small-time coupling between \(\Lambda\)-coalescents and branching processes (Q2448685)

The authors describe a new connection between coalescents with multiple collisions (\(\Lambda\)-coalescents) and genealogies of continuous-state branching processes. This connection is based on the construction of an explicit coupling using a particle representation inspired by the lookdown process of \textit{P. Donnelly} and \textit{T. G. Kurtz} [Ann. Probab. 24, No. 2, 698--742 (1996; Zbl 0869.60074); ibid. 27, No. 1, 166--205 (1999; Zbl 0956.60081)]. This coupling has the property that the coalescent comes down from infinity if and only if the branching process becomes extinct, thus answering a question of \textit{J. Bertoin} and \textit{J.-F. Le Gall} [Probab. Theory Relat. Fields 117, No. 2, 249--266 (2000; Zbl 0963.60086)]. The coupling also offers new perspective on the speed of coming down from infinity and allows to relate power-law behavior for \(N^\Lambda(t)\) to the classical upper and lower indices arising in the study of pathwise properties of Lévy processes.