Strict positivity of the solution to a 2-dimensional spatially homogeneous Boltzmann equation without cutoff (Q5946159)

In previous works, the author has linked the solution \(f(t,\cdot)\) of a Boltzmann equation to the density of the law of the solution \((V_t)\) of a Poisson driven nonlinear stochastic differential equation [Ann. Appl. Probab. 10, No.~2, 434-462 (2000)] and he has obtained a criterion for the strict positivity of the density of the law of Poisson driven stochastic differential equations, via the Malliavin calculus on Poisson space [Stochastics Stochastics Rep. 68, No.~1-2, 1-43 (1999; Zbl 0944.60066)]. In the paper under review, these results are applied to prove the strict positivity of the solution \(f(t,\cdot)\) of a \(2\)-dimensional Boltzmann equation without cutoff. The first steps towards the application of the strict positivity criterion are the choice of a suitable stochastic perturbation of \((V_t)\), and the proof of the differentiability of the perturbed process. Strict positivity of \(f(t,\cdot)\) is understood in the sense that there exists a strictly positive function \(g(t,v)\) on \((0,\infty)\times {\mathbb R}^2\), continuous in \(v\), such that for all \(t>0\) and \(\varphi \in C^+_b ({\mathbb R}^2)\), \[ \int_{{\mathbb R}^2} \varphi (v) f(t,v) dv \geq \int_{{\mathbb R}^2} \varphi (v) g(t,v) dv. \] In particular, if \(f\) is continuous in \(v\), then \(f\) is strictly positive on \((0,\infty)\times {\mathbb R}^2\).