On the Equivalence of Heat Kernels of Second-order parabolic operators

Abstract

Let $P$ be a second-order, symmetric, and nonnegative elliptic operator with real coefficients defined on noncompact Riemannian manifold $M$, and let $V$ be a real valued function which belongs to the class of {\em small perturbation potentials} with respect to the heat kernel of $P$ in $M$. We prove that under some further assumptions (satisfying by a large classes of $P$ and $M$) the positive minimal heat kernels of $P-V$ and of $P$ on $M$ are equivalent. Moreover, the parabolic Martin boundary is stable under such perturbations, and the cones of all nonnegative solutions of the corresponding parabolic equations are affine homeomorphic

arXiv commentProposition 6.6 and example 7.14 are added. The proof of Theorem 6.2 is modified