Infinite-dimensional Langevin equations: uniqueness and rate of convergence for finite-dimensional approximations

The paper deals with the infinite-dimensional stochastic equation dX= B(t, X) dt + dW driven by a Wiener process which may also cover stochastic partial differential equations. We study a certain finite dimensional approximation of B(t, X) and give a qualitative bound for its rate of convergence to be high enough to ensure the weak uniqueness for solutions of our equation. Examples are given demonstrating the force of the new condition. Received: 6 November 1999 / Revised version: 21 August 2000 / Published online: 6 April 2001     

A family of diffusion processes on Sierpinski carpets

We construct a family of diffusions P ^α = {P ^x} on the d-dimensional Sierpinski carpet F^. The parameter α ranges over d _H < α < ∞, where d _H = log(3 ^d − 1)/log 3 is the Hausdorff dimension of the d-dimensional Sierpinski carpet F^. These diffusions P ^α are reversible with invariant measures μ = μ^[α]. Here, μ are Radon measures whose topological supports are equal to F^ and satisfy self-similarity in the sense that μ(3A) = 3^α·μ(A) for all A∈ℬ(F^). In addition, the diffusion is self-similar and invariant under local weak translations (cell translations) of the Sierpinski carpet. The transition density p = p(t, x, y) is locally uniformly positive and satisfies a global Gaussian upper bound. In spite of these well-behaved properties, the diffusions are different from Barlow-Bass' Brownian motions on the Sierpinski carpet. Received: 30 September 1999 / Revised version: 15 June 2000 / Published online: 24 January 2000     

Diffusive scaling of the spectral gap for the dilute Ising lattice-gas dynamics below the percolation threshold

We consider a conservative stochastic lattice-gas dynamics reversible with respect to the canonical Gibbs measure of the bond dilute Ising model on ℤ ^d at inverse temperature β. When the bond dilution density p is below the percolation threshold we prove that for any particle density and any β, with probability one, the spectral gap of the generator of the dyamics in a box of side L centered at the origin scales like L ⁻². Such an estimate is then used to prove a decay to equilibrium for local functions of the form where ε is positive and arbitrarily small and α = ? for d = 1, α=1 for d≥2. In particular our result shows that, contrary to what happes for the Glauber dynamics, there is no dynamical phase transition when β crosses the critical value β _c of the pure system. Received: 10 April 2000 / Revised version: 23 October 2000 / Published online: 5 June 2001     

Increment sizes of the principal value of Brownian local time

Let W be a standard Brownian motion, and define Y(t)= ∫₀ ^t ds/W(s) as Cauchy's principal value related to local time. We determine: (a) the modulus of continuity of Y in the sense of P. Lévy; (b) the large increments of Y. Received: 1 April 1999 / Revised version: 27 September 1999 / Published online: 14 June 2000     

A new inductive approach to the lace expansion for self-avoiding walks

Summary. We introduce a new inductive approach to the lace expansion, and apply it to prove Gaussian behaviour for the weakly self-avoiding walk on ℤ ^d where loops of length m are penalised by a factor e ^{−β/m p} (0<β≪1) when: (1) d>4, p≥0; (2) d≤4, . In particular, we derive results first obtained by Brydges and Spencer (and revisited by other authors) for the case d>4, p=0. In addition, we prove a local central limit theorem, with the exception of the case d>4, p=0. Received: 29 October 1997 / In revised form: 15 January 1998     

Some properties of the range of super-Brownian motion

We consider a super-Brownian motion X. Its canonical measures can be studied through the path-valued process called the Brownian snake. We obtain the limiting behavior of the volume of the ɛ-neighborhood for the range of the Brownian snake, and as a consequence we derive the analogous result for the range of super-Brownian motion and for the support of the integrated super-Brownian excursion. Then we prove the support of X _t is capacity-equivalent to [0, 1]² in ℝ^d, d≥ 3, and the range of X, as well as the support of the integrated super-Brownian excursion are capacity-equivalent to [0, 1]⁴ in ℝ^d, d≥ 5. Received: 7 April 1998 / Revised version: 2 October 1998     

Anomalous behaviour for the random corrections to the cumulants of random walks in fluctuating random media

The Central Limit Theorem for a model of discrete-time random walks on the lattice ℤ^ν in a fluctuating random environment was proved for almost-all realizations of the space-time nvironment, for all ν > 1 in [BMP1] and for all ν≥ 1 in [BBMP]. In [BMP1] it was proved that the random correction to the average of the random walk for ν≥ 3 is finite. In the present paper we consider the cases ν = 1,2 and prove the Central Limit Theorem as T→∞ for the random correction to the first two cumulants. The rescaling factor for theaverage is for ν = 1 and (ln T), for ν=2; for the covariance it is , ν = 1,2. Received: 25 November 1999 / Revised version: 7 June 2000 / Published online: 15 February 2001     

Interacting Fisher–Wright diffusions in a catalytic medium

We study the longtime behaviour of interacting systems in a randomly fluctuating (space–time) medium and focus on models from population genetics. There are two prototypes of spatial models in population genetics: spatial branching processes and interacting Fisher–Wright diffusions. Quite a bit is known on spatial branching processes where the local branching rate is proportional to a random environment (catalytic medium). Here we introduce a model of interacting Fisher–Wright diffusions where the local resampling rate (or genetic drift) is proportional to a catalytic medium. For a particular choice of the medium, we investigate the longtime behaviour in the case of nearest neighbour migration on the d-dimensional lattice. While in classical homogeneous systems the longtime behaviour exhibits a dichotomy along the transience/recurrence properties of the migration, now a more complicated behaviour arises. It turns out that resampling models in catalytic media show phenomena that are new even compared with branching in catalytic medium. Received: 15 November 1999 / Revised version: 16 June 2000 / Published online: 6 April 2001     

A general non-convex large deviation result with applications to stochastic equations

We prove an abstract large deviation result for a sequence of random elements of a vector space satisfying an “abstract exponential martingale condition”. The framework naturally generates non-convex rate functions. We apply the result to solutions of It? stochastic equations in R ^d driven by Brownian motion and a Poisson random measure. Received: 23 June 1999 / Revised version: 17 February 2000 / Published online: 22 November 2000     

Smoothing properties of transition semigroups relative to SDEs with values in Banach spaces

In the present paper we consider the transition semigroup P _t related to some stochastic reaction-diffusion equations with the nonlinear term f having polynomial growth and satisfying some dissipativity conditions. We are proving that it has a regularizing effect in the Banach space of continuous functions , where ⊂ℝ ^d is a bounded open set. In L ²() the only result proved is the strong Feller property, for d=1. Here we are able to prove that if f∈C ^∞(ℝ) and d≤3, then for any and t>0. An important application is to the study of the ergodic properties of the system. These results are also of interest for some problem in stochastic control. Received: 20 August 1997 / Revised version: 27 May 1998     

The log-Sobolev inequality for weakly coupled lattice fields

We consider a ferromagnetic spin system with unbounded interactions on the d-dimensional integer lattice (d > 1). Under mild assumptions on the one-body interactions (so that arbitrarily deep double wells are allowed), we prove that if the coupling constants are small enough, then the finite volume Gibbs states satisfy the log-Sobolev inequality uniformly in the volume and the boundary condition. Received: 11 November 1997 / Revised version: 17 July 1998     

On Fractional Part Sums: A Mean-Square Asymptotics over Short Intervals

 This article is concerned with sums 𝒮(t) = ∑ _n  ψ(tf(n/t)) where ψ denotes, essentially, the fractional part minus ?, f is a C ⁴-function with f″ ≠ 0 throughout, summation being extended over an interval of order t. We establish an asymptotic formula for ∫ _T−Λ ^T+Λ (𝒮(t))²dt for any Λ = Λ(T) growing faster than log T. Received April 30, 2001; in revised form February 15, 2002 RID="a" ID="a" Dedicated to Professor Edmund Hlawka on the occasion of his 85th birthday     

Euclidean models of first-passage percolation

Summary. We introduce a new family of first-passage percolation (FPP) models in the context of Poisson-Voronoi tesselations of ℝ ^d . Compared to standard FPP on ℤ ^d , these models have some technical complications but also have the advantage of statistical isotropy. We prove two almost sure results: a shape theorem (where isotropy implies an exact Euclidean ball for the asymptotic shape) and nonexistence of certain doubly infinite geodesics (where isotropy yields a stronger result than in standard FPP). Received: 21 May 1996 / In revised form: 19 November 1996     

Exponential decay rate of survival probability in a disastrous random environment

Summary. We study the exponential decay rate of the survival probability up to time t>0 of a random walker moving in Zopf; ^d in a temporally and spatially fluctuating random environment. When the random walker has a speed parameter κ>0, we investigate the influence of κ on the exponential decay rate λ(d,κ). In particular we prove that for any fixed d≥1, λ(d,κ) behaves like as logκ as κ↘0. Received: 21 May 1996 / In revised form: 2 February 1997     

Wiener’s test for super-Brownian motion and the Brownian snake

We prove a Wiener-type criterion for super-Brownian motion and the Brownian snake.If F is a Borel subset of ℝ ^d and x ∈ ℝ ^d , we provide a necessary and sufficientcondition for super-Brownian motion started at δ _x to immediately hit the set F. Equivalently, this condition is necessary and sufficient for the hitting time of F by theBrownian snake with initial point x to be 0. A key ingredient of the proof isan estimate showing that the hitting probability of F is comparable, up to multiplicative constants,to the relevant capacity of F. This estimate, which is of independent interest, refines previous results due to Perkins and Dynkin. An important role is played by additivefunctionals of the Brownian snake, which are investigated here via the potentialtheory of symmetric Markov processes. As a direct application of our probabilisticresults, we obtain a necessary and sufficient condition for the existence in a domain D of a positivesolution of the equation Δ; u = u ² which explodes at a given point of ∂ D. Received: 5 January 1996 / In revised form: 30 October 1996     

On a class of stochastic partial differential equations related to turbulent transport

Summary. We consider the Cauchy problem for the mass density ρ of particles which diffuse in an incompressible fluid. The dynamical behaviour of ρ is modeled by a linear, uniformly parabolic differential equation containing a stochastic vector field. This vector field is interpreted as the velocity field of the fluid in a state of turbulence. Combining a contraction method with techniques from white noise analysis we prove an existence and uniqueness result for the solution ρ∈C ^1,2([0,T]×ℝ ^d ,(S)^*), which is a generalized random field. For a subclass of Cauchy problems we show that ρ actually is a classical random field, i.e. ρ(t,x) is an L ²-random variable for all time and space parameters (t,x)∈[0,T]×ℝ ^d . Received: 27 March 1995 / In revised form: 15 May 1997     

Mean field bounds on Lyapunov exponents in Z d at the critical energy

We further develop the supersymmetric formalism initiated in [W1] (see also [SjW]). We obtain the optimal mean field bounds at the critical energy for Lyapunov exponents of random walks in random potentials in Z ^d at weak disorder. This extends some of the results in [W1]. Received: 9 December 1999 / Revised version: 8 May 2000 /?Published online: 15 February 2001     

On estimation of the logarithmic Sobolev constant and gradient estimates of heat semigroups

Summary. This paper presents some explicit lower bound estimates of logarithmic Sobolev constant for diffusion processes on a compact Riemannian manifold with negative Ricci curvature. Let Ric≧−K for some K>0 and d, D be respectively the dimension and the diameter of the manifold. If the boundary of the manifold is either empty or convex, then the logarithmic Sobolev constant for Brownian motion is not less than max {(d d+2) ^d 1 2(d+1)D ² exp [−1−(3d+2)D ² K],     (d−1 d+1) ^d K exp [−4D√d K]} . Next, the gradient estimates of heat semigroups (including the Neumann heat semigroup and the Dirichlet one) are studied by using coupling method together with a derivative formula modified from [11]. The resulting estimates recover or improve those given in [7, 21] for harmonic functions. Received: 19 September 1995 / In revised form 11 April 1996     

Large deviations for the Ginzburg–Landau ∇φ interface model

Hydrodynamic large scale limit for the Ginzburg-Landau ∇φ interface model was established in [6]. As its next stage this paper studies the corresponding large deviation problem. The dynamic rate functional is given by

On Itô s formula for multidimensional Brownian motion

Consider a d-dimensional Brownian motion X = (X ¹,…,X ^d ) and a function F which belongs locally to the Sobolev space W ^1,2. We prove an extension of It? s formula where the usual second order terms are replaced by the quadratic covariations [f _k (X), X ^k ] involving the weak first partial derivatives f _k of F. In particular we show that for any locally square-integrable function f the quadratic covariations [f(X), X ^k ] exist as limits in probability for any starting point, except for some polar set. The proof is based on new approximation results for forward and backward stochastic integrals. Received: 16 March 1998 / Revised version: 4 April 1999