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).[-]

In many situations where stochastic modeling is used, one desires to choose the coefficients of a stochastic differential equation which represents the reality as simply as possible. For example one desires to approximate a diffusion model
with high complexity coefficients by a model within a class of simple diffusion models. To achieve this goal, we introduce a new Wasserstein type distance on the set of laws of solutions to d-dimensional stochastic differential equations.
This new distance $\widetilde{W}^{2}$ is defined similarly to the classical Wasserstein distance $\widetilde{W}^{2}$ but the set of couplings is restricted to the set of laws of solutions of 2$d$-dimensional stochastic differential equations. We prove that this new distance $\widetilde{W}^{2}$ metrizes the weak topology. Furthermore this distance $\widetilde{W}^{2}$ is characterized in terms of a stochastic control problem. In the case d = 1 we can construct an explicit solution. The multi-dimensional case, is more tricky and classical results do not apply to solve the HJB equation because of the degeneracy of the differential operator. Nevertheless, we prove that this HJB equation admits a regular solution.[-]

We discuss hypoelliptic and subelliptic diffusions; the lectures include the following topics: Malliavin calculus; Hormander's theorem; smoothness of transition probabilities under Hormander's brackets condition; control theory and Stroock-Varadhan's support theorems; hypoelliptic heat kernel estimates; gradient estimates and Harnack type inequalities for subelliptic diffusion semi-groups; notions of curvature related to sub-Riemannian diffusions.[-]

In this talk I will present a stochastic model for the excitability of a neuron in a network. The neuron described by an Hodgkin-Huxley type model receives from the network a random input which is a perturbation of a periodic deterministic signal. For such a model we study ergodicity properties. Then, we prove limit theorems in order to be able to estimate characteristics of the sequence of spiking times. This talk is based on a joint work with R. Hoepfner (Univ. Mainz) and E. Loecherbach (Univ. Cergy-Pontoise).

Hodgkin-Huxley model - ergodicity - limit theorems - estimation[-]

We study white noise perturbations of planar dynamical systems with heteroclinic networks in the limit of vanishing noise. We show that the probabilities of transitions between various cells that the network tessellates the plane into decay as powers of the noise magnitude, and we describe the underlying mechanism. A metastability picture emerges, with a hierarchy of time scales and clusters of accessibility, similar to the classical Freidlin-Wentzell picture but with shorter transition times. We discuss applications of our results to homogenization problems and to the invariant distribution asymptotics. At the core of our results are local limit theorems for exit distributions obtained via methods of Malliavin calculus. Joint work with Hong-Bin Chen and Zsolt Pajor-Gyulai.[-]

Motivated by recent advances in rough volatility modeling, we introduce affine Volterra processes, defined as solutions of certain stochastic convolution equations with affine coefficients. Classical affine diffusions constitute a special case, but affine Volterra processes are neither semi-martingales, nor Markov processes in general. Nonetheless, their Fourier-Laplace functionals admit exponential-affine representations in terms of solutions of associated deterministic integral equations, extending the well-known Riccati equations for classical affine diffusions. Our findings generalize and simplify recent results in the literature on rough volatility.[-]

We study an optimal reinsurance problem under the criterion of maximizing the expected utility of terminal wealth when the loss process exhibits jump clustering features and the insurance company has restricted information about the claims arrival intensity. By solving the associated filtering problem we reduce the original problem to a stochastic control problem under full information. Since the classical Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman approach does not apply, due to the infinite dimensionality of the filter, we choose an alternative approach based on Backward Stochastic Differential Equations (BSDEs). Precisely, we characterize the value process and the optimal reinsurance strategy in terms of a BSDE driven by a marked point process. The talk is based on a joint work with M. Brachetta, G. Callegaro and C. Sgarra (arXiv:2207.05489, 2022).[-]

We study Bessel and Dunkl processes $\left(X_{t, k}\right)_{t>0}$ on $\mathbb{R}^{N}$ with possibly multivariate coupling constants $k \geq 0$. These processes describe interacting particle systems of Calogero-Moser-Sutherland type with $N$ particles. For the root systems $A_{N-1}$ and $B_{N}$ these Bessel processes are related with $\beta$-Hermite and $\beta$-Laguerre ensembles. Moreover, for the frozen case $k=\infty$, these processes degenerate to deterministic or pure jump processes. We use the generators for Bessel and Dunkl processes of types $\mathrm{A}$ and $\mathrm{B}$ and derive analogues of Wigner's semicircle and Marchenko-Pastur limit laws for $N \rightarrow \infty$ for the empirical distributions of the particles with arbitrary initial empirical distributions by using free convolutions. In particular, for Dunkl processes of type $\mathrm{B}$ new non-symmetric semicircle-type limit distributions on $\mathbb{R}$ appear. Our results imply that the form of the limiting measures is already completely determined by the frozen processes. Moreover, in the frozen cases, our approach leads to a new simple proof of the semicircle and Marchenko-Pastur limit laws for the empirical measures of the zeroes of Hermite and Laguerre polynomials respectively. (based on joint work with Michael Voit)[-]