Hitting properties of a random string

We consider Funaki's model of a random string taking values in R^d. It is specified by the following stochastic PDE, du = u_{xx} + W, where W=W(x,t) is two-parameter white noise, also taking values in R^d. We study hitting properties, double points, and recurrence. The main difficulty is that the process has the Markov property in time, but not in space. We find: (1) The string hits points if d<6. (2) For fixed t, there are points x,y such that u(t,x)=u(t,y) iff d < 4. (3) There exist points t,x,y such that u(t,x)=u(t,y) iff d < 8. (4) There exist points s,t,x,y such that u(t,x)=u(s,y) iff d < 12. (5) The string is recurrent iff d < 7

On the large time asymptotics of decaying Burgers turbulence

The decay of Burgers turbulence with compactly supported Gaussian "white noise" initial conditions is studied in the limit of vanishing viscosity and large time. Probability distribution functions and moments for both velocities and velocity differences are computed exactly, together with the "time-like" structure functions . The analysis of the answers reveals both well known features of Burgers turbulence, such as the presence of dissipative anomaly, the extreme anomalous scaling of the velocity structure functions and self similarity of the statistics of the velocity field, and new features such as the extreme anomalous scaling of the "time-like" structure functions and the non-existence of a global inertial scale due to multiscaling of the Burgers velocity field. We also observe that all the results can be recovered using the one point probability distribution function of the shock strength and discuss the implications of this fact for Burgers turbulence in general.Comment: LATEX, 25 pages, The present paper is an extension of the talk delivered at the workshop on intermittency in turbulent systems, Newton Institute, Cambridge, UK, June 199

Pfaffian formulae for one dimensional coalescing and annihilating systems

The paper considers instantly coalescing, or instantly annihilating, systems of one-dimensional Brownian particles on the real line. Under maximal entrance laws, the distribution of the particles at a fixed time is shown to be Pfaffian point processes closely related to the Pfaffian point process describing one dimensional distribution of real eigenvalues in the real Ginibre ensemble of random matrices. As an application, an exact large time asymptotic for the n-point density function for coalescing particles is derived

Multi-point correlations for two dimensional coalescing random walks

This paper considers an infinite system of instantaneously coalescing rate one simple random walks on $\mathbb{Z}^2$, started from the initial condition with all sites in $\mathbb{Z}^2$ occupied. We show that the correlation functions of the model decay, for any $N \geq 2$, as $$\rho_N (x_1,\ldots,x_N;t) = \frac{c_0(x_1,\ldots,x_N)}{\pi^N} (\log t)^{N-{N \choose 2}} t^{-N} \left(1 + O\left( \frac{1}{\log^{\frac12-\delta}\!t} \right) \right)$$ as $t \to\infty$. This generalises the results for $N=1$ due to Bramson and Griffeath and confirms a prediction in the physics literature for $N>1$. An analogous statement holds for instantaneously annihilating random walks. The key tools are the known asymptotic $\rho_1(t) \sim \log t/\pi t$ due to Bramson and Griffeath, and the non-collision probability $p_{NC}(t)$, that no pair of a finite collection of $N$ two dimensional simple random walks meets by time $t$, whose asymptotic $p_{NC}(t) \sim c_0 (\log t)^{-{N \choose 2}}$ was found by Cox, Merle and Perkins. This paper re-derives the asymptotics both for $\rho_1(t)$ and $p_{NC}(t)$ by proving that these quantities satisfy {\it effective rate equations}, that is approximate differential equations at large times. This approach can be regarded as a generalisation of the Smoluchowski theory of renormalised rate equations to multi-point statistics.Comment: 26 page

One dimensional annihilating particle systems as extended Pfaffian point processes

We prove that the multi-time particle distributions for annihilating Brownian motions, under the maximal entrance law on the real line, are extended Pfaffian point processesComment: An earlier version of this paper falsely stated that the multi-time distributions of coalescing Brownian motions (CBM's) were also an extended Pfaffian point process. This erroneous claim has been removed from the current version. We do not have a simple description of the multi-time distributions for CBM

Uniqueness for a class of one-dimensional stochastic PDEs using moment duality

We establish a duality relation for the moments of bounded solutions to a class of one-dimensional parabolic stochastic partial differential equations. The equations are driven by multiplicative space-time white noise, with a non-Lipschitz multiplicative functional. The dual process is a system of branching Brownian particles. The same method can be applied to show uniqueness in law for a class of non-Lipschitz finite dimensional stochastic differential equations