Set
and recursively
Then . The determinant identity
follows by induction. Writing the remaining complete quotient as gives
so lies strictly between consecutive convergents and their order alternates. For odd ,
Moreover , and , proving convergence.
The continued-fraction algorithm gives
The transition rates of this birth-death process are and . Thus, with ,
Multiplying by , summing, and shifting indices gives
At a finite-moment steady state with positive mean and ,
Since , this implies
If , both terms in the mean equation are nonpositive, and stationarity forces . Thus the population is extinct almost surely in any such steady state.

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