Let $M$ be a complete Riemannian manifold and $D\subset M$ a smoothly bounded domain with compact closure. We use Brownian motion and the classic results on the Stieltjes moment problem to study the relationship between the Dirichlet spectrum of $D$ and the heat content asymptotics of $D.$ Central to our investigation is a sequence of invariants associated to $D$ defined using exit time moments. We prove that our invariants determine that part of the spectrum corresponding to eigenspaces which are not orthogonal to constant functions, that our invariants determine the heat content asymptotics associated to the manifold, and that when the manifold is a generic domain in Euclidean space, the invariants determine the Dirichlet spectrum.
We prove that among all doubly connected domains of R^n (n>=2) bounded by two spheres of given radii, the Dirichlet heat content at any fixed time achieves its minimum when the spheres are concentric. This is shown to be a special case of a more general theorem concerning the optimal placement of a convex obstacle inside some larger domain so as to maximize or minimize the Dirichlet heat content.
We present examples of isospectral operators that do not have the same heat content. Several of these examples are planar polygons that are isospectral for the Laplace operator with Dirichlet boundary conditions. These include examples with infinitely many components. Other planar examples have mixed Dirichlet and Neumann boundary conditions. We also consider Schrödinger operators acting in $L^2[0,1]$ with Dirichlet boundary conditions, and show that an abundance of isospectral deformations do not preserve the heat content.
This paper provides the second term in the small time asymptotic expansion of the spectral heat content of a rotationally invariant $α$--stable process, $0<α\leq 2$, for the interval $(a,b)$. The small time behavior of the spectral heat content turns out to be linked to the distribution of the supremum and infimum processes.
This paper is devoted to study the asymptotic expansion of the heat trace of the Dirichlet-to-Neumann map for the thermoelastic equation on a Riemannian manifold with doundary. By providing a method we can obtain all the coefficients of the asymptotic expansion. In particular, we explicitly give the first two coefficients involving the volume and the total mean curvature of the boundary.
We consider the heat equation in a straight strip, subject to a combination of Dirichlet and Neumann boundary conditions. We show that a switch of the respective boundary conditions leads to an improvement of the decay rate of the heat semigroup of the order of $t^{-1/2}$. The proof employs similarity variables that lead to a non-autonomous parabolic equation in a thin strip contracting to the real line, that can be analyzed on weighted Sobolev spaces in which the operators under consideration have discrete spectra. A careful analysis of its asymptotic behaviour shows that an added Dirichlet b…
This paper studies the small time behavior of the heat content of rotationally invariant $α$--stable processes, $0<α\leq 2$, in domains in $\R^d$. Unlike the asymptotics for the heat trace, the behavior of the heat content differs depending on the ranges $0<α<1$, $α=1$ and $1<α\leq 2$.
We study the survival probability of a particle diffusing in a two-dimensional domain, bounded by a smooth absorbing boundary. The short-time expansion of this quantity depends on the geometric characteristics of the boundary, whilst its long-time asymptotics is governed by the lowest eigenvalue of the Dirichlet Laplacian defined on the domain. We present a simple algorithm for calculation of the short-time expansion for an arbitrary "star-shaped" domain. The coefficients are expressed in terms of powers of boundary curvature, integrated around the circumference of the domain. Based on this ex…
This paper studies the heat content} for Schrödinger operators of the fractional Laplacian $(-Δ)^{α/2}$, $0<α\leq 2$ in $R^d$, $d\geq 1$. Employing probabilistic and analytic techniques, a small time asymptotic expansion formula is given and the "heat content invariants" are identified. These results are new even in the case of the Laplacian, $α=2$.
For $d \in \N$ and $Ω\ne \emptyset$ an open set in $\R^d$, we consider the eigenfunctions $Φ$ of the Dirichlet Laplacian $-Δ_Ω$ of $Ω$. If $Φ$ is associated with an eigenvalue below the essential spectrum of $-Δ_Ω$ we provide estimates for the $L_1$-norm of $Φ$ in terms of its $L_2$-norm and spectral data. These $L_1$-estimates are then used in the comparison of the heat content of $Ω$ at time $t>0$ and the heat trace at times $t' > 0$, where a two-sided estimate is established. We furthermore show that all eigenfunctions of $-Δ_Ω$ which are associated with a discrete eigenvalue of $H_Ω$, belo…
We show that a twist of a three-dimensional tube of uniform cross-section yields an improved decay rate for the heat semigroup associated with the Dirichlet Laplacian in the tube. The proof employs Hardy inequalities for the Dirichlet Laplacian in twisted tubes and the method of self-similar variables and weighted Sobolev spaces for the heat equation.
The heat trace asymptotics are discussed for operators of Laplace type with Dirichlet, Robin, spectral, D/N, and transmittal boundary conditions. The heat content asymptotics are discussed for operators with time dependent coefficients and Dirichlet or Robin boundary conditions.
We show that the polynomial decay rate of the heat semigroup of the Dirichlet Laplacian in curved planar wedges equals the sum of the usual dimensional decay rate and a multiple of the reciprocal value of the opening angle. To prove the result, we develop the method of self-similar variables for the associated heat equation and study the asymptotic behaviour of the transformed non-autonomous parabolic problem for large times. We also establish an improved Hardy inequality for the Dirichlet Laplacian in non-trivially curved wedges and state a conjecture about an improved decay rate in this case…
Upper bounds are obtained for the heat content of an open set D in a geodesically complete Riemannian manifold M with Dirichlet boundary condition on bd(D), and non-negative initial condition. We show that these upper bounds are close to being sharp if (i) the Dirichlet-Laplace-Beltrami operator acting in $L^2(D)$ satisfies a strong Hardy inequality with weight $r^2$, (ii) the initial temperature distribution, and the specific heat of D are given by $r^{-a}$ and $r^{-b}$ respectively, where $r$ is the distance to the boundary, and 1<a<2, 1<b<2.
We study the heat content asymptotics on a Riemannian manifold with smoooth boundary defined by Dirichlet, Neumann, transmittal and transmission boundary conditions.
Inside a fixed bounded domain $Ω$ of the plane, we look for the best compact connected set $K$, of given perimeter, in order to maximize the first Dirichlet eigenvalue $λ_1(Ω\setminus K)$. We discuss some of the qualitative properties of the maximizers, moving toward existence, regularity and geometry. Then we study the problem in specific domains: disks, rings, and, more generally, disks with convex holes. In these situations, we prove symmetry and, in some cases non symmetry results, identifying the solution. We choose to work with the outer Minkowski content as the "good" notion of perimete…
This paper is devoted to investigate the heat trace asymptotic expansion corresponding to the magnetic Steklov eigenvalue problem on Riemannian manifolds with boundary. We establish an effective procedure, by which we can calculate all the coefficients $a_0$, $a_1$, $\dots$, $a_{n-1}$ of the heat trace asymptotic expansion. In particular, we explicitly give the expressions for the first four coefficients. These coefficients are spectral invariants which provide precise information concerning the volume and curvatures of the boundary of the manifold and some physical quantities by the magnetic …
We investigate the heat kernel with Robin boundary condition and prove comparison theorems for heat kernel on geodesic balls and on minimal submanifolds. We also prove an eigenvalue comparison theorem for the first Robin eigenvalues on minimal submanifolds. This generalizes corresponding results for the Dirichlet and Neumann heat kernels.
We discuss Laplacians on graphs in a framework of regular Dirichlet forms. We focus on phenomena related to unboundedness of the Laplacians. This includes (failure of) essential selfadjointness, absence of essential spectrum and stochastic incompleteness.
