On Non-parametric Estimation of the L\'evy Kernel of Markov Processes

We consider a recurrent Markov process which is an It\^o semi-martingale. The L\'evy kernel describes the law of its jumps. Based on observations X(0),X({\Delta}),...,X(n{\Delta}), we construct an estimator for the L\'evy kernel's density. We prove its consistency (as n{\Delta}->\infty and {\Delta}->0) and a central limit theorem. In the positive recurrent case, our estimator is asymptotically normal; in the null recurrent case, it is asymptotically mixed normal. Our estimator's rate of convergence equals the non-parametric minimax rate of smooth density estimation. The asymptotic bias and variance are analogous to those of the classical Nadaraya-Watson estimator for conditional densities. Asymptotic confidence intervals are provided.Comment: 53 pages; 1 figure; Accepted for publication in the journal Stochastic Processes and their Applications (April 30, 2013