The Fundamental Solution to One-Dimensional Degenerate Diffusion Equation, I

Abstract: In this work we adopt a combination of probabilistic approach and analytic methods to study the fundamental solutions to variations of the Wright-Fisher equation in one dimension. To be specific, we consider a diffusion equation on $\left(0,\infty\right)$ whose diffusion coefficient vanishes at the boundary 0, equipped with the Cauchy initial data and the Dirichlet boundary condition. One type of diffusion operator that has been extensively studied is the one whose diffusion coefficient vanishes linearly at 0. Our main goal is to extend the study to cases when the diffusion coefficient has a general order of degeneracy. We primarily focus on the fundamental solution to such a degenerate diffusion equation. In particular, we study the regularity properties of the fundamental solution near 0, and investigate how the order of degeneracy of the diffusion operator and the Dirichlet boundary condition jointly affect these properties. We also provide estimates for the fundamental solution and its derivatives near 0.