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Random polarizations

We derive conditions under which random sequences of polarizations (two-point symmetrizations) converge almost surely to the symmetric decreasing rearrangement. The parameters for the polarizations are independent random variables whose distributions need not be uniform. The proof of convergence hinges on an estimate for the expected distance from the limit that also yields a bound on the rate of convergence. In the special case of i.i.d. sequences, we obtain almost sure convergence even for polarizations chosen at random from suitable small sets. As corollaries, we find bounds on the rate of convergence of Steiner symmetrizations that require no convexity assumptions, and show that full rotational symmetry can be achieved by randomly alternating Steiner symmetrization in a finite number of directions that satisfy an explicit non-degeneracy condition. We also present some negative results on the rate of convergence and give examples where convergence fails.