Spectral survival criterion for multitype Poisson branching (${\sum }_i{p}_i>0⟺\rho (\Lambda )>1$)

This criterion holds even for reducible nonnegative matrices. If a fixed point $p\ne 0$ exists, $1-e^{-z}<z$ for $z>0$ gives $(\Lambda p{)}_i>p_i$ on its support. Some $\alpha >1$ therefore satisfies $\Lambda p\ge \alpha p$, forcing the spectral radius above one by the Perron–Frobenius theorem. Conversely take $v\ge 0$, $v\ne 0$, with $\Lambda v=\rho v$ and $\rho >1$. For sufficiently small $\eta >0$, $1-e^{-\eta \rho v_i}\ge \eta v_i$. Thus $\eta v$ is a subsolution; monotone iteration under $T$ gives a positive fixed point below $1$. Strictness of $1-e^{-z}<z$ excludes survival at the critical value for this Poisson offspring law.