A functional central limit theorem for the jump counts of Markov processes with an application to Jackson networks

Abstract

Each feasible transition between two distinct states i and j of a continuous-time, uniform, ergodic, countable-state Markov process gives a counting process counting the number of such transitions executed by the process. Traffic processes in Markovian queueing networks can, for instance, be represented as sums of such counting processes. We prove joint functional central limit theorems for the family of counting processes generated by all feasible transitions. We characterize which weighted sums of counts have zero covariance in the limit in terms of balance equations in the transition diagram of the process. Finally, we apply our results to traffic processes in a Jackson network. In particular, we derive simple formulas for the asymptotic covariances between the processes counting the number of customers moving between pairs of nodes in such a network.