On the Equivalence of Heat Kernels of Second-order parabolic operators

Abstract

Let $P$ be a second-order, symmetric, and nonnegative elliptic operator with real coefficients defined on noncompact Riemannian manifold $M$, and let $V$ be a real valued function which belongs to the class of {\em small perturbation potentials} with respect to the heat kernel of $P$ in $M$. We prove that under some further assumptions (satisfying by a large classes of $P$ and $M$) the positive minimal heat kernels of $P-V$ and of $P$ on $M$ are equivalent. Moreover, the parabolic Martin boundary is stable under such perturbations, and the cones of all nonnegative solutions of the corresponding parabolic equations are affine homeomorphic