The join-the-shortest-queue system in the Halfin-Whitt regime: rates of convergence to the diffusion limit

Abstract: We show that the steady-state distribution of the join-the-shortest-queue (JSQ) system converges, in the Halfin-Whitt regime, to its diffusion limit at a rate of at least $1/\sqrt{n}$, where $n$ is the number of servers. Our proof uses Stein's method and, specifically, the recently proposed prelimit generator comparison approach. The JSQ system is non-trivial, high-dimensional, and has a state-space collapse component, and our analysis may serve as a helpful example to readers wishing to apply the approach to their own setting.