Mixing time of the switch Markov chain and stable degree sequences

Abstract: The switch chain is a well-studied Markov chain which can be used to sample approximately uniformly from the set $\Omega(\boldsymbol{d})$ of all graphs with a given degree sequence $\boldsymbol{d}$. Polynomial mixing time (rapid mixing) has been established for the switch chain under various conditions on the degree sequences. Amanatidis and Kleer introduced the notion of strongly stable families of degree sequences, and proved that the switch chain is rapidly mixing for any degree sequence from a strongly stable family. Using a different approach, Erd\H{o}s et al. recently extended this result to the (possibly larger) class of P-stable degree sequences, introduced by Jerrum and Sinclair in 1990. We define a new notion of stability for a given degree sequence, namely $k$-\emph{stability}, and prove that if a degree sequence $\boldsymbol{d}$ is 8-stable then the switch chain on $\Omega(\boldsymbol{d})$ is rapidly mixing. We also provide sufficient conditions for P-stability, strong stability and 8-stability. Using these sufficient conditions, we give the first proof of P-stability for various families of heavy-tailed degree sequences, including power-law degree sequences, and show that the switch chain is rapidly mixing for these families. We further extend these notions and results to directed degree sequences.