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Diffusion process

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Inprobability theoryandstatistics,diffusion processesare a class of continuous-timeMarkov processwithalmost surelycontinuoussample paths. Diffusion process is stochastic in nature and hence is used to model many real-life stochastic systems.Brownian motion,reflected Brownian motionandOrnstein–Uhlenbeck processesare examples of diffusion processes. It is used heavily instatistical physics,statistical analysis,information theory,data science,neural networks,financeandmarketing.

A sample path of a diffusion process models the trajectory of a particle embedded in a flowing fluid and subjected to random displacements due to collisions with other particles, which is calledBrownian motion.The position of the particle is then random; itsprobability density functionas afunction of space and timeis governed by aconvection–diffusion equation.

Mathematical definition[edit]

Adiffusion processis aMarkov processwithcontinuous sample pathsfor which theKolmogorov forward equationis theFokker–Planck equation.[1]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^"9. Diffusion processes"(pdf).RetrievedOctober 10,2011.