Equivalence of dimension-free Harnack inequality and curvature condition (Q1881587)

Let \(P_t\) be a diffusion semigroup with generator \(L=\Delta +Z\) on a Riemannian manifold \(M\), \(Z\) being a smooth vector field. The curvature condition (c.c.), rewritten in terms of the \(\Gamma _2\) operator of \textit{D. Bakry} and \textit{M. Emery} [C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris. Ser. I Math 299, 775--778 (1984; Zbl 0563.60068)] as \(\Gamma _2(f,f):={1\over2}L| \nabla f| ^2-(\nabla Lf,\nabla f)\geq -k| \nabla f| ^2\), \(f\in C^\infty(M)\), \(k=\text{const}\), is equivalent to various known estimates on \(P_t\). The Harnack inequality established by the author in [Probab. Theory Relat. Fields 109, 417--424 (1997; Zbl 0887.35012)] also proves to be equivalent to (c.c.). Two families of new equivalent conditions, involving the parameter \(p\in[1,2]\), are introduced, each interpolating between a due pair of known estimates.