We first introduce the Metropolis-Hastings algorithm. We then consider the Random Walk Metropolis algorithm on $R^n$ with Gaussian proposals, and when the target probability measure is the $n$-fold product of a one dimensional law. It is well-known that, in the limit $n$ tends to infinity, starting at equilibrium and for an appropriate scaling of the variance and of the timescale as a function of the dimension $n$, a diffusive limit is obtained for each component of the Markov chain. We generalize this result when the initial distribution is not the target probability measure. The obtained diffusive limit is the solution to a stochastic differential equation nonlinear in the sense of McKean. We prove convergence to equilibrium for this equation. We discuss practical counterparts in order to optimize the variance of the proposal distribution to accelerate convergence to equilibrium. Our analysis confirms the interest of the constant acceptance rate strategy (with acceptance rate between 1/4 and 1/3).[-]

We will consider the discretization of the stochastic differential equation$$X_t=X_0+W_t+\int_0^t b\left(s, X_s\right) d s, t \in[0, T]$$where the drift coefficient $b:[0, T] \times \mathbb{R}^d \rightarrow \mathbb{R}^d$ is measurable and satisfies the integrability condition : $\|b\|_{L^q\left([0, T], L^\rho\left(\mathbb{R}^d\right)\right)}<\infty$ for some $\rho, q \in(0,+\infty]$ such that$$\rho \geq 2 \text { and } \frac{d}{\rho}+\frac{2}{q}<1 .$$Krylov and Röckner [3] established strong existence and uniqueness under this condition.Let $n \in \mathbb{N}^*, h=\frac{T}{n}$ and $t_k=k h$ for $k \in \left [ \left [0,n \right ] \right ]$. Since there is no smoothing effect in the time variable, we introduce a sequence $\left(U_k\right)_{k \in \left [ \left [0,n-1 \right ] \right ]}$ independent from $\left(X_0,\left(W_t\right)_{t \geq 0}\right)$ of independent random variables which are respectively distributed according to the uniform law on $[k h,(k+1) h]$. The resulting scheme Euler is initialized by $X_0^h=X_0$ and evolves inductively on the regular time-grid $\left(t_k=k h\right)_{k \in \left [ \left [0,n \right ] \right ]}$ by:$$X_{t_{k+1}}^h=X_{t_k}^h+W_{t_{k+1}}-W_{t_k}+b_h\left(U_k, X_{t_k}^h\right) h$$where $b_h$ is some truncation of the drift function $b$. When $b$ is bounded, one of course chooses $b_h=b$. Then the order of weak convergence in total variation distance is $1 / 2$, as proved in [1]. It improves to 1 up to some logarithmic correction under some additional uniform in time bound on the spatial divergence of the drift coefficient. In the general case (1), we will see that for suitable truncations $b_h$, the difference between the transition densities of the stochastic differential equation and its Euler scheme is bounded from above by $C h^{\frac{1}{2}\left(1-\left(\frac{d}{\rho}+\frac{2}{q}\right)\right)}$ multiplied by some centered Gaussian density, as proved in [2].[-]

We will consider the discretization of the stochastic differential equation$$X_t=X_0+W_t+\int_0^t b\left(s, X_s\right) d s, t \in[0, T]$$where the drift coefficient $b:[0, T] \times \mathbb{R}^d \rightarrow \mathbb{R}^d$ is measurable and satisfies the integrability condition : $\|b\|_{L^q\left([0, T], L^\rho\left(\mathbb{R}^d\right)\right)}<\infty$ for some $\rho, q \in(0,+\infty]$ such that$$\rho \geq 2 \text { and } \frac{d}{\rho}+\frac{2}{q}<1 .$$Krylov and Röckner established strong existence and uniqueness under this condition.Let $n \in \mathbb{N}^*, h=\frac{T}{n}$ and $t_k=k h$ for $k \in \left [ \left [0,n \right ] \right ]$. Since there is no smoothing effect in the time variable, we introduce a sequence $\left(U_k\right)_{k \in \left [ \left [0,n-1 \right ] \right ]}$ independent from $\left(X_0,\left(W_t\right)_{t \geq 0}\right)$ of independent random variables which are respectively distributed according to the uniform law on $[k h,(k+1) h]$. The resulting scheme Euler is initialized by $X_0^h=X_0$ and evolves inductively on the regular time-grid $\left(t_k=k h\right)_{k \in \left [ \left [0,n \right ] \right ]}$ by:$$X_{t_{k+1}}^h=X_{t_k}^h+W_{t_{k+1}}-W_{t_k}+b_h\left(U_k, X_{t_k}^h\right) h$$where $b_h$ is some truncation of the drift function $b$. When $b$ is bounded, one of course chooses $b_h=b$. Then the order of weak convergence in total variation distance is $1 / 2$, as proved in [1]. It improves to 1 up to some logarithmic correction under some additional uniform in time bound on the spatial divergence of the drift coefficient. In the general case (1), we will see that for suitable truncations $b_h$, the difference between the transition densities of the stochastic differential equation and its Euler scheme is bounded from above by $C h^{\frac{1}{2}\left(1-\left(\frac{d}{\rho}+\frac{2}{q}\right)\right)}$ multiplied by some centered Gaussian density, as proved in [2].[-]

We will consider the discretization of the stochastic differential equation$$X_t=X_0+W_t+\int_0^t b\left(s, X_s\right) d s, t \in[0, T]$$where the drift coefficient $b:[0, T] \times \mathbb{R}^d \rightarrow \mathbb{R}^d$ is measurable and satisfies the integrability condition : $\|b\|_{L^q\left([0, T], L^\rho\left(\mathbb{R}^d\right)\right)}<\infty$ for some $\rho, q \in(0,+\infty]$ such that$$\rho \geq 2 \text { and } \frac{d}{\rho}+\frac{2}{q}<1 .$$Krylov and Röckner established strong existence and uniqueness under this condition.Let $n \in \mathbb{N}^*, h=\frac{T}{n}$ and $t_k=k h$ for $k \in \left [ \left [0,n \right ] \right ]$. Since there is no smoothing effect in the time variable, we introduce a sequence $\left(U_k\right)_{k \in \left [ \left [0,n-1 \right ] \right ]}$ independent from $\left(X_0,\left(W_t\right)_{t \geq 0}\right)$ of independent random variables which are respectively distributed according to the uniform law on $[k h,(k+1) h]$. The resulting scheme Euler is initialized by $X_0^h=X_0$ and evolves inductively on the regular time-grid $\left(t_k=k h\right)_{k \in \left [ \left [0,n \right ] \right ]}$ by:$$X_{t_{k+1}}^h=X_{t_k}^h+W_{t_{k+1}}-W_{t_k}+b_h\left(U_k, X_{t_k}^h\right) h$$where $b_h$ is some truncation of the drift function $b$. When $b$ is bounded, one of course chooses $b_h=b$. Then the order of weak convergence in total variation distance is $1 / 2$, as proved in [1]. It improves to 1 up to some logarithmic correction under some additional uniform in time bound on the spatial divergence of the drift coefficient. In the general case (1), we will see that for suitable truncations $b_h$, the difference between the transition densities of the stochastic differential equation and its Euler scheme is bounded from above by $C h^{\frac{1}{2}\left(1-\left(\frac{d}{\rho}+\frac{2}{q}\right)\right)}$ multiplied by some centered Gaussian density, as proved in [2].[-]