From lower to upper estimates of heat kernels in doubling spaces (Q991574)

Let \((M,d,\mu)\) be a noncompact metric space and assume that there is a Dirichlet form \((\mathcal{E}, \mathcal{F})\) in \(L^2(M, \mu)\) with generator \(A\). More precisely, \(A\) is a non-negative self-adjoint operator on \(L^2(M,\mu)\) with \((Af,g)=\mathcal{E}(f,g)\) for \(f\in \mathcal{D}(A)\) and \(g\in \mathcal{F}\). Then \(A\) determines the heat semigroup \(T_t:=\exp(-tA)\) for \(t\geq 0\) associated to \((\mathcal{E}, \mathcal{F})\) and it is assumed that \(T_t\) has an integral kernel \(p_t(x,y)\) called the \textit{heat kernel}, i.e. \(T_tf(x)=\int_Mp_t(x,y)f(y)d\mu(y)\). The aim of the present paper is to derive an upper estimate on the heat kernel under the assumption of an lower estimate and certain conditions on the volume function. In the case where the volume function has polynomial growth similar results have been obtained before by Grigor'yan, Hu and Lau. We describe the main theorems. Let \(V(x,r)\) denote the \(\mu\)-volume of the ball in \(M\) centered in \(x\in M\) and of radius \(r>0\). The space \(M\) is said to be doubling if for some constant \(C_0>0\) one has \(V(x,2r)\leq C_0V(x,r)\) for all \(x \in M\) and \(r>0\). The volume is called uniform, if there exists an increasing continuous function \(\varphi\) on \(\mathbb{R}^+\) such that \(c\varphi(r)\leq V(x,r)\leq C\varphi(r)\) for all \(r>0\) and \(x\in M\) with suitable constants \(c,C>0\). The author proves that in case of a doubling space and a uniform volume a certain type of lower estimate on \(p_t(x,y)\) depending on a parameter \(\beta\) implies the upper estimate \(p_t(x,y)\leq C\varphi(t^{\frac{1}{\beta}})^{-1}\). In case the Dirichlet form \((\mathcal{E}, \mathcal{F})\) is regular, local and conservative and the space is doubling it is shown that the above growth condition on \(V(x,r)\) can be replaced by an exit time estimate corresponding to a process \((\{X_t\}_{t>0},\{P_x\})\) associated with \((\mathcal{E}, \mathcal{F})\) in order to obtain an upper estimate on the heat kernel from a lower estimate. In case of a doubling Riemannian manifold \(M\) with heat kernel \(p_t\) it is known that the so-called Faber-Krahn inequality is equivalent to an upper estimate on \(p_t\) (with \(\beta=2\)). Using this fact it is shown that in this particular situation a lower estimate on the heat kernel implies an upper estimate without any further conditions.