Absorption analysis of a taphonomic decay chain — morie_taphonomy_decay

Uses the fundamental matrix \(N = (I - Q)^{-1}\) of the absorbing chain to compute, for a body entering at start, the probability of each terminal fate ("skeletal" vs "mummified") and the expected number of steps to absorption (Grinstead & Snell, Ch. 11).

Usage

morie_taphonomy_decay_absorption(chain, start = chain$transient[1])

Arguments

chain: A chain from morie_taphonomy_decay_chain.
start: Transient stage the body enters at (default the first).

Value

A named list: absorption (named probabilities over the absorbing states, summing to 1, double), expected_steps (double), fundamental (matrix N), and B (full transient-by-absorbing probability matrix).

References

Grinstead CM, Snell JL (1997). Introduction to Probability (2nd ed.), Ch. 11 (Absorbing Markov Chains). AMS.

Examples

morie_taphonomy_decay_absorption(morie_taphonomy_decay_chain(0.7))$absorption
#>  skeletal mummified 
#>    0.0081    0.9919