Pointwise eigenfunction estimates and intrinsic ultracontractivity-type properties of Feynman-Kac semigroups for a class of L\'{e}vy processes

TL;DR

This paper studies eigenfunction decay and ultracontractivity properties of Feynman-Kac semigroups for a class of Lévy processes with specific potentials, providing sharp estimates and conditions for these properties.

Contribution

It introduces new techniques to analyze eigenfunction decay, establishes sharp pointwise estimates, and characterizes ultracontractivity conditions for Lévy process semigroups with Kato-class potentials.

Findings

Derived sharp two-sided estimates for ground state eigenfunctions

Established necessary and sufficient conditions for ultracontractivity

Introduced the concept of borderline potentials and their characterizations

Abstract

We introduce a class of L\'{e}vy processes subject to specific regularity conditions, and consider their Feynman-Kac semigroups given under a Kato-class potential. Using new techniques, first we analyze the rate of decay of eigenfunctions at infinity. We prove bounds on $\lambda$-subaveraging functions, from which we derive two-sided sharp pointwise estimates on the ground state, and obtain upper bounds on all other eigenfunctions. Next, by using these results, we analyze intrinsic ultracontractivity and related properties of the semigroup refining them by the concept of ground state domination and asymptotic versions. We establish the relationships of these properties, derive sharp necessary and sufficient conditions for their validity in terms of the behavior of the L\'{e}vy density and the potential at infinity, define the concept of borderline potential for the asymptotic properties and give probabilistic and variational characterizations. These results are amply illustrated by key examples.