On the rate of convergence of loop-erased random walk to \(\mathrm{SLE}_{2}\) (Q1942285)

The Schramm-Loewner evolution (SLE) introduced by \textit{O. Schramm} [Isr. J. Math. 118, 221--288 (2000; Zbl 0968.60093)] is a one-parameter family of random planar growth processes constructed by solving the Loewner equation when the driving functional is a one-dimensional Brownian motion. It has been shown to describe the scaling limits of a variety of two-dimensional discrete models from statistical mechanics and has led to the solution of a number of open problems about planar Brownian motion. The paper under review provides the rate of convergence of the Loewner driving function for a planar loop-erased random walk to the Brownian motion with speed two on the unit circle, the Loewner driving function for radial \(\mathrm{SLE}_2\). The main steps in the proof are the determination of the rate of convergence for the distribution of the conformal image of the starting point of the time-reversed loop-erased random walk and of the rate of convergence of the martingale observable for the loop-erased random walk path. The latter is based on a new estimate of the difference between the discrete and continuous Green functions. Moreover, Skorohod's embedding theorem for martingales is employed to find the appropriate coupling of the driving function with Brownian motion. This coupling is applied to obtain also a rate of convergence for the paths with respect to the Hausdorff distance.