# Precise asymptotics of small eigenvalues of reversible diffusions in the metastable regime

Eckhoff, M (2005). Precise asymptotics of small eigenvalues of reversible diffusions in the metastable regime. The Annals of Probability, 33(1):244-299.

## Abstract

We investigate the close connection between metastability of the reversible diffusion process X defined by the stochastic differential equation

d Xt = −∇ F (Xt ) d t + √2ε d Wt , ε > 0,

and the spectrum near zero of its generator −Lɛ≡ɛΔ−∇F⋅∇, where F:ℝd→ℝ and W denotes Brownian motion on ℝd. For generic F to each local minimum of F there corresponds a metastable state. We prove that the distribution of its rescaled relaxation time converges to the exponential distribution as ɛ↓0 with optimal and uniform error estimates. Each metastable state can be viewed as an eigenstate of Lɛ with eigenvalue which converges to zero exponentially fast in 1/ɛ. Modulo errors of exponentially small order in 1/ɛ this eigenvalue is given as the inverse of the expected metastable relaxation time. The eigenstate is highly concentrated in the basin of attraction of the corresponding trap.

We investigate the close connection between metastability of the reversible diffusion process X defined by the stochastic differential equation

d Xt = −∇ F (Xt ) d t + √2ε d Wt , ε > 0,

and the spectrum near zero of its generator −Lɛ≡ɛΔ−∇F⋅∇, where F:ℝd→ℝ and W denotes Brownian motion on ℝd. For generic F to each local minimum of F there corresponds a metastable state. We prove that the distribution of its rescaled relaxation time converges to the exponential distribution as ɛ↓0 with optimal and uniform error estimates. Each metastable state can be viewed as an eigenstate of Lɛ with eigenvalue which converges to zero exponentially fast in 1/ɛ. Modulo errors of exponentially small order in 1/ɛ this eigenvalue is given as the inverse of the expected metastable relaxation time. The eigenstate is highly concentrated in the basin of attraction of the corresponding trap.

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Other titles: Journal Article, refereed, original work 07 Faculty of Science > Institute of Mathematics 510 Mathematics Capacity; eigenvalue problem; exit problem; exponential distribution; diffusion process; ground-state splitting; large deviations; metastability; relaxation time; reversibility; potential theory; Perron–Frobenius eigenvalues; semiclassical limit; Witten’s Laplace English 2005 19 Feb 2010 15:48 05 Apr 2016 13:24 Institute of Mathematical Statistics 0091-1798 10.1214/009117904000000991
Permanent URL: http://doi.org/10.5167/uzh-21708