Large deviations and stationary measures for interacting particle systems (Q1313125)

A third level large deviation principle is derived for time dependent spin flip models with a local interaction and continuous time. The rate functional, \(H \geq 0\), is specified in terms of specific entropy relative to the free evolution corresponding to independent flipping of the spins. This rate \(H\) is a lower semi-continuous function on the space of space- time invariant measures, its level sets are weakly compact. Moreover, \(H=0\) characterizes the stationary regime of the system. As a consequence, a variational principle is obtained for the stationary states of the evolution. Previous results on models with discrete time by \textit{S. Goldstein}, \textit{R. Kuik}, \textit{J. L. Lebowitz} and \textit{C. Maes} [Commun. Math. Phys. 125, No. 1, 71-79 (1989; Zbl 0683.68045)] are developed further here. Since a Gibbsian description of the process in space and time is not available for models with continuous time, the Girsanov formula is used for the calculation of rate \(H\).