Random walks on the BMW monoid: an algebraic approach

We consider Metropolis-based systematic scan algorithms for generating Birman-Murakami-Wenzl (BMW) monoid basis elements of the BMW algebra. As the BMW monoid consists of tangle diagrams, these scanning strategies can be rephrased as random walks on links and tangles. We translate these walks into left multiplication operators in the corresponding BMW algebra. Taking this algebraic perspective enables the use of tools from representation theory to analyze the walks; in particular, we develop a norm arising from a trace function on the BMW algebra to analyze the time to stationarity of the walks.