B3.13

Applied Probability
Part II, 2003

State the product theorem for Poisson random measures.

Consider a system of nn queues, each with infinitely many servers, in which, for i=1,,n1i=1, \ldots, n-1, customers leaving the ii th queue immediately arrive at the (i+1)(i+1) th queue. Arrivals to the first queue form a Poisson process of rate λ\lambda. Service times at the ii th queue are all independent with distribution FF, and independent of service times at other queues, for all ii. Assume that initially the system is empty and write Vi(t)V_{i}(t) for the number of customers at queue ii at time t0t \geqslant 0. Show that V1(t),,Vn(t)V_{1}(t), \ldots, V_{n}(t) are independent Poisson random variables.

In the case F(t)=1eμtF(t)=1-e^{-\mu t} show that

E(Vi(t))=λμP(Nti),t0,i=1,,n,\mathbb{E}\left(V_{i}(t)\right)=\frac{\lambda}{\mu} \mathbb{P}\left(N_{t} \geqslant i\right), \quad t \geqslant 0, \quad i=1, \ldots, n,

where (Nt)t0\left(N_{t}\right)_{t \geqslant 0} is a Poisson process of rate μ\mu.

Suppose now that arrivals to the first queue stop at time TT. Determine the mean number of customers at the ii th queue at each time tTt \geqslant T.