Ferromagnetic integrals, correlations and maximum principles (Q1337039)

In a previous paper [Astérisque, 210, 303-326 (1992; Zbl 0796.35123)] the author developed an idea of \textit{I. M. Singer}, \textit{B. Wong}, \textit{S.-T. Yau} and \textit{S. S.-T. Yau} [Ann. Sc. Norm. Super. Pisa, Cl. Sci., IV. Ser. 12, 319-333 (1985; Zbl 0603.35070)] to use the maximum principle in the study of the logarithm of the first eigenfunction of a Schrödinger operator on \(\mathbb{R}^m\) with a strictly convex potential, and for suitable sequences of potentials, he was able to establish the exponential convergence of the first eigenvalue divided by \(m\), when \(m\) tends to infinity. More recently, the reviewer and the author [J. Statistical Phys. 74, No. 1-2, 349-369 (1994)] employed a similar method to study expectation values of the form: \[ \langle f \rangle = \left. \left( \int_{\mathbb{R}^m} \exp - {\varphi (x) \over h} f(x) dx \right) \right/ \int_{\mathbb{R}^m} \exp - {\varphi (x) \over h} dx, \] and in particular the correlations \(({\mathcal C})\) \(\langle (x_j - \langle x_j \rangle) (x_k - \langle x_k \rangle) \rangle\), for large \(m\) and \(|j - k |\). Under suitable assumptions, implying uniform strict convexity for \(\varphi\), it was proved that \(({\mathcal C})\) can be estimated by \({\mathcal O} (1) \exp - |j - k |/C\). In this paper, the author improves the use of the maximum principle and as an application considers for the correlations \(({\mathcal C})\) a critical case and proves power decay upper bounds in terms of the fundamental solution of a certain elliptic operator. In the last part, the author formulates a general maximum principle and gives two applications.