English

From one-dimensional diffusion processes metastable behaviour to parabolic equations asymptotics

Probability 2025-05-27 v1 Analysis of PDEs

Abstract

Consider the one-dimensional elliptic operator given by \begin{equation*} (L_\epsilon f)(x) \;=\; b (x) \, f'(x) \,+\, \epsilon\, a (x)\, f''(x) \;, \end{equation*} where the drift b ⁣:RRb\colon R \to R and the diffusion coefficient a ⁣:RRa\colon R \to R are periodic C1(R)C^1(R) functions satisfying further conditions, and ϵ>0\epsilon>0. Consider the initial-valued problem \begin{equation*} \left\{ \begin{aligned} & \partial_{t}\,u_{\epsilon}\,=\,L_{\epsilon}\,u_{\epsilon}\;,\\ & u_{\epsilon}(0,\,\cdot)=u_{0}(\cdot)\;, \end{aligned} \right.\end{equation*} for some bounded continuous function u0u_{0}. We prove the existence of time-scales θϵ(1),,θϵ(q)\theta_{\epsilon}^{(1)},\,\dots,\,\theta_{\epsilon}^{(\mathfrak{q})} such that θϵ(1)\theta_{\epsilon}^{(1)}\to\infty, θϵ(p+1)/θϵ(p)\theta_{\epsilon}^{(p+1)}/\theta_{\epsilon}^{(p)}\to\infty, 1pq11\le p\le\mathfrak{q}-1, probability measures p(x,)p(x,\cdot), xRx\in R, and kernels Rt(p)(mj,mk)R_{t}^{(p)}(m_j,m_k), where {mj:jZ}\{m_j:j\in Z\} represents the set of stable equilibrium of the ODE x˙(t)=b(x(t))\dot{x}(t) = b(x(t)) such that \begin{equation*} \lim_{\epsilon\to0} u_{\epsilon}(t\theta_{\epsilon}^{(p)}, x) \;=\;\sum_{j,k\in Z} p(x,m_j)\, R_{t}^{(p)} (m_j,m_k) \,u_{0}(m_k)\;, \end{equation*} for all t>0t>0 and xRx\in R. The solution uϵu_{\epsilon} asymptotic behavior description is completed by the characterisation of its behaviour in the intermediate time-scales ϱϵ\varrho_{\epsilon} such that ϱϵ/θϵ(p)\varrho_{\epsilon}/\theta_{\epsilon}^{(p)}\to\infty, ϱϵ/θϵ(p+1)0\varrho_{\epsilon}/\theta_{\epsilon}^{(p+1)}\to0 for some 0pq0\le p\le\mathfrak{q}, where θϵ(0)=1\theta_{\epsilon}^{(0)}=1, θϵ(q+1)=+\theta_{\epsilon}^{(\mathfrak{q}+1)}=+\infty. The proof relies on the analysis of the diffusion Xϵ()X_\epsilon(\cdot) induced by the generator LϵL_\epsilon based on the resolvent approach to metastability introduced in [21].

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2505.20217,
  title  = {From one-dimensional diffusion processes metastable behaviour to parabolic equations asymptotics},
  author = {Claudio Landim and Christian Maura},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2505.20217},
  year   = {2025}
}
R2 v1 2026-07-01T02:40:18.271Z