Optimal lower bound for the variance of hitting times for simple random walks on graphs

Rafael Chiclana, Yuval Peres

Published 2023-12-12Version 1

We study hitting times in simple random walks on graphs, which measure the time required to reach specific target vertices. Our main result establishes a sharp lower bound for the variance of hitting times. For a simple random walk on a graph with $n$ vertices, we prove that the variance of the hitting time from a vertex $x$ to a vertex $y$, denoted $\tau_y$, is at least of the order $\mathbb{E}_x(\tau_y)^2 / \log n$. When the graph is a tree, we show that $n$ can be replaced by the graph's distance between vertices $x$ and $y$.