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A short-time drift propagator approach to the Fokker–Planck equation

  • Original Paper - General, Mathematical and Statistical Physics
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Abstract

The Fokker–Planck equation is a partial differential equation that describes the evolution of a probability distribution over time. It is used to model a wide range of physical and biological phenomena, such as diffusion, chemical reactions, and population dynamics. Solving the Fokker–Planck equation is a difficult task, as it involves solving a system of coupled nonlinear partial differential equations. In general, analytical solutions are not available and numerical methods must be used. In this research, we propose a novel approach to the solution of the Fokker–Planck equation in a short time interval. The numerical solution to the equation can be obtained iteratively using a new technique based on the short-time drift propagator. This new approach is different from the traditional methods, as the state-dependent drift function has been removed from the multivariate Gaussian integral component and is instead presented as a state-shifted element. We evaluated our technique employing a fundamental Wiener process with constant drift components in both one- and two-dimensional space. The results of the numerical calculation were found to be consistent with the exact solution. The proposed approach offers a promising new direction for research in this area.

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Acknowledgements

This research project was supported by the Thailand Science Research and Innovation Fund and the University of Phayao (Grant no. FF65-RIM070).

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Correspondence to Waipot Ngamsaad.

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Mangthas, W., Ngamsaad, W. A short-time drift propagator approach to the Fokker–Planck equation. J. Korean Phys. Soc. 84, 173–179 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40042-023-00967-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40042-023-00967-8

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