Using slithers of simulation in a new approach for intelligent initialization of non-terminating systems

Abstract

Reduction and even avoidance of the initial transient is known to be possible using intelligent initialization but it is not an approach that has been actively researched for some time. Using ideas from complexity science and informed by the recently developed equation-free technique a new method for identifying initializing conditions is developed. Many short bursts of simulation, called slithers, are used to construct the dynamic function of a system. Importantly, the function reveals the point attractor of the dynamic system to which it will evolve and the conditions at the attractor define the initializing conditions for future simulation runs. The method is demonstrated by application to a queuing network.