Tunnel effect for semiclassical random walks (Q2346741)

Let \(\phi: {\mathbb R}^d\to {\mathbb R}\) be a smooth function (Hamiltonian) having a finite number of wells. The paper deals with the metastability of the system. Define a probability measure \(\mu_h\) on \({\mathbb R}^d\) with unnormalized density \(e^{-\phi(x)/h}\), where \(h>0\) is a small parameter. Next, define a Markov transition kernel \[ (x, d y)\to \frac{1}{\mu_h(B(x, h))}{1}_{\{|x-y|<h\}}d \mu_h(y) \] which generalizes an operator on some set of functions. The main result of the paper says that the operator has some eigenvalues (corresponding to the minima of \(\phi\)) exponentially close to 1 (in the semiclassical sense), and that the others are \({\mathscr O}(h)\) away from 1, as \(h\to 0\). As usual, the study of this topic is quite technical. The authors adopt the dual technique, a general factorization result for pseudodifferential operators, and some recent results on the Witten-Laplacian. Reviewer's remark: We mention a related result which may be useful to the readers. In the time-continuous context, for the well-known \(\phi^4\)-model, the spin potential is given by \(x^4-\beta x^2\) which has double wells. It was proved by the reviewer in [Acta Math. Sin., Engl. Ser. 24, No. 5, 705--736 (2008; Zbl 1147.60058)] that the spectral gap (as well as the logarithmic constant) of the system decays to zero exponentially fast: \(\exp[-\beta^2/4+ {\mathscr O}(\beta)]\). Moreover, the leading term \(-\beta^2/4\) is exact even in the infinite-dimensional situation.