Percolation on infinite graphs and isoperimetric inequalities

Abstract

We consider the Bernoulli bond percolation process (with parameter $p$) on infinite graphs and we give a general criterion for bounded degree graphs to exhibit a non-trivial percolation threshold based either on a single isoperimetric inequality if the graph has a bi-infinite geodesic, or two isoperimetric inequalities if the graph has not a bi-infinite geodesic. This new criterion extends previous criteria and brings together a large class of amenable graphs (such as regular lattices) and non-amenable graphs (such trees). We also study the finite connectivity in graphs satisfying the new general criterion and show that graphs in this class with a bi-infinite geodesic always have finite connectivity functions with exponential decay as $p$ is sufficiently close to one. On the other hand, we show that there are graphs in the same class with no bi-infinite geodesic for which the finite connectivity decays sub-exponentially (down to polynomially) in the highly supercritical phase even for $p$ arbitrarily close to one.