Fragmentation processes with an initial mass converging to infinity (Q2471121)

The author considers a family of fragmentation processes where the rate at which a particle splits is proportional to a function of its mass. Starting from an initial mass \(m\), let \(F_{1}^{(m)}(t)\), \(F_{2}^{(m)}(t),\dots \) denote the decreasing rearrangement of the masses present at time \(t\) in such a process. Under an assumption of regular variation type on the dynamics of the fragmentation, it is proved that the sequence \((F_{2}^{(m)}, F_{3}^{(m)},\dots)\) converges in law as \( m\rightarrow \infty \) to a fragmentation with immigration process. This holds jointly with the convergence of \(m-F_{1}^{(m)}\) to a stable subordinator. A continuum random tree describing the genealogy of a self-similar fragmentation satisfying the required assumption and starting from a mass converging to \(\infty\), does converge to a tree with a spine coding a fragmentation with immigration. Some results obtained are applied to the ``stable'' fragmentations introduced by \textit{G. Miermont} [Probab. Theory Relat. Fields 127, No.~3, 423--454 (2003; Zbl 1042.60043); ibid. 131, No.~3, 341--375 (2005; Zbl 1071.60065)].