The asymmetric multitype contact process

Abstract

In the multitype contact process, vertices of a graph can be empty or occupied by a type 1 or a type 2 individual; an individual of type $i$ dies with rate 1 and sends a descendant to a neighboring empty site with rate $\lambda_i$. We study this process on $\Z^d$ with $\lambda_1 > \lambda_2$ and $\lambda_1$ larger than the critical value of the (one-type) contact process. We prove that, if there is at least one type 1 individual in the initial configuration, then type 1 has a positive probability of never going extinct. Conditionally on this event, type 1 takes over a ball of radius growing linearly in time. We also completely characterize the set of stationary distributions of the process and prove that the process started from any initial configuration converges to a convex combination of distributions in this set.