Maximal stream and minimal cutset for first passage percolation through a domain of \(\mathbb{R}^{d}\) (Q2450248)

The authors consider a first passage percolation model in the rescaled graph \(\mathbb{Z}/n\) for \(d\geq 2\) and a domain \(\Omega\) of boundary \(\Gamma\) in \(\mathbb{R}^n\). Recall that a maximal stream is a vector measure \(\mu_n^{\text{max}}\) that describes how the maximal amount of fluid can cross \(\Omega\). The asymptotic behavior of a maximal stream and a minimal cutset are studied. Under some conditions it is proved that the sequence \(\left(\mu_n^{\text{max}}\right)_{n\geq 1}\) converges a.s.\ to the set of the solutions of a continuous deterministic problem of maximal stream in an anisotropic network. Let \(\Gamma^1\) and \(\Gamma^2\) be two disjoint open subsets of \(\Gamma\), representing the parts of \(\Gamma\) through which some water can enter and escape from \(\Omega\). A minimal cutset can be seen as the boundary of a set \(E_n^{\text{min}}\) that separates \(\Gamma^1\) from \(\Gamma^2\) in \(\Omega\) and whose random capacity is minimal. Under the same conditions, the authors prove that the sequence \(\left(E_n^{\text{min}}\right)_{n\geq 1}\) converges toward the set of the solutions of a continuous deterministic problem of minimal cutset. From this, a continuous deterministic max-flow min-cut theorem and a new proof of the law of large numbers for the maximal flow are obtained.