An Introduction to PottsUtils

Package PottsUtils comprises several functions related to the Potts models defined on undirected graphs. The main purpose of the package is to make available several functions that generate samples from the models. To facilitate that, there are other utilities. Furthermore, there is a by-product of simulation functions. Altogether, there are three sets of functions. The first produces basic properties of a graph to facilitate the simulation functions (they maybe used for other purposes as well). The second provides various simulation functions. The third currently includes only one function which computes the normalizing constant based on simulation results. This introduction was intended to help users to understand better the functions, the documentation (Rd files), and the source code. For more technical details (mathematical proof among others), we refer users to references herein. Hereafter, first we introduce some basic concepts and definitions related to the Potts models. Second, algorithms used in simulation functions are presented in a concise way. Third, a function to obtain normalizing constant is introduced. Forth, we discuss some computational issues. Finally, some future work is outlined.