Gradient flows with metric and differentiable structures, and applications to the Wasserstein space (Q2504960)

Summary: In this paper we summarize some of the main results of a forthcoming book on this topic [Gradient flows in metric spaces and in the space of probability measures, Birkhäuser, Basel (2005; Zbl 1090.35002)], where we examine in detail the theory of curves of maximal slope in a general metric setting, following some ideas introduced in [\textit{E. De Giorgi, A. Marino, M. Tosques}, Atti Acc. Lincei Rend. Fis. (8) Rend., Cl. Sci. Fis. Mat. Nat. 68, 180--187 (1980; Zbl 0465.47041), \textit{C. Baiocchi, F. Brezzi}, Ricci, Paolo Emilio (ed.), Actual problems in analysis and mathematical physics. Proceedings of the international symposium dedicated to Gaetano Fichera on the occasion of his 70th birthday, Taormina, Italy, 1992. Roma: Dipartimento di Matematica, Università di Roma ``La Sapienza'', 59--63 (1993; Zbl 0792.35010)], and study in detail the case of the Wasserstein space of probability measures. In the first part we derive new general conditions ensuring convergence of the implicit time discretization scheme to a curve of maximal slope, the uniqueness, and the error estimates. In the second part we study in detail the differentiable structure of the Wasserstein space, to which the metric theory applies, and use this structure to give also an equivalent concept of gradient flow. Our analysis includes measures in infinite-dimensional Hilbert spaces and it does not require any absolute continuity assumption on the measures involved.