Elliptic Parabolic Degenerate Operators
Ph.D Course
Politecnico di Milano
A.A. 2025/2026. Prof. S. Biagi, M. Bramanti


Course Program and Bibliography

Calendar and Course Timetable

Videos of the lessons

Marco Bramanti's personal room:

https://politecnicomilano.webex.com/meet/marco.bramanti

AIM OF THE COURSE

The aim of this course is to introduce the students to the research area of elliptic-parabolic degenerate operators of Hörmander type. We will present a general overview of this area, with some more specific insight on selected topics.

COURSE PROGRAM

In this course, we will consider second-order linear differential operators with smooth coefficients and positive semi-definite quadratic forms (thus, elliptic-parabolic, generally degenerate) that fall within the class of Hörmander operators. We will introduce some important notions, objects and theorems in this field, in particular introducing to the literature about Hörmander operators on homogeneous groups.

The style of the course will balance technical parts, with the proof of some important results, and informative talks, aiming to give a wider picture to this deep subject.

By attending this course, the student is expected to familiarize with the notions of Hörmander operators, Hörmander vector fields, hypoellipticity, fundamental solutions, a priori estimates, geometry related to a differential operator, appreciating the analogies and differences between uniformly elliptic (or parabolic) operators and these more general ones.

A tentative table of contents of the course is the following.

Introduction to Hörmander operators.
Linear differential operators with smooth coefficients in the context of distribution theory: the notions of hypoellipticity and solvability. The case of second-order operators; the language of vector fields, commutators, Lie algebras. Hörmander's hypoellipticity theorem; Hörmander operators. Notable examples: sub-Laplacians on Heisenberg groups, Kolmogorov-Fokker-Planck operators. Motivations to study these operators and connections with stochastic physical models. Subelliptic estimates: their role to prove Hörmander's theorem, and their use.

Geometric properties of Hörmander operators.
Exponential of a vector field, relation between the exponential of the commutator of two vector fields and the commutator of their exponential maps. Control distance induced by a system of vector fields, Chow connectivity properties; maximum principles. The role of weighted control distance to study operators with drift.

Homogeneous groups and homogeneous left invariant Hörmander operators.
Generalities on homogeneous groups, sub-Laplacians on Carnot groups, homogeneous invariant operators on homogeneous groups.

Fundamental solutions of Hörmander operators.
Motivation: the role of the fundamental solution of the Laplacian in the quest of a priori estimates in Sobolev spaces. Existence of a good fundamental solution for homogeneous Hörmander operators on homogeneous groups. Properties of this fundamental solution, and its role to prove natural estimates in Sobolev spaces for these operators. Some remarks on the extension of the previous theory to general Hörmander operators: natural estimates on the fundamental solution, and relation with the geometry of vector fields; local estimates in Sobolev spaces for general Hörmander operators.

Kolmogorov-Fokker-Planck operators.
Generalities on the classes of KFP operators studied by Lanconelli-Polidoro. Construction of an explicit fundamental solution of Gaussian type. Some properties and uses of this fundamental solution.

Depending on the remaining time and the interests of participants, we could develop other related subjects.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

M. Bramanti, L. Brandolini: Hörmander operators. World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., Hackensack, NJ, 2023.

M. Bramanti: An invitation to hypoelliptic operators and Hörmander's vector fields. SpringerBriefs Math., 2014.

S. Biagi, A. Bonfiglioli: An introduction to the geometrical analysis of vector fields-with applications to maximum principles and Lie groups. World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., Hackensack, NJ, 2019.

A. Bonfiglioli, E. Lanconelli, F. Uguzzoni: Stratified Lie groups and potential theory for their sub-Laplacians, Springer Monogr. Math., 2007.

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CALENDAR AND COURSE TIMETABLE

The lessons will be held inside the math department (unless otherwise specified), that is:
4th floor: room of "effediesse" lab;
3rd floor: seminars' room
6th floor: MOX seminars' room.
Pay attention to the schedule, since the lessons are not held at fixed days and hours.

May, Monday 4th, 11 a.m-1 p.m., 4th floor
Tuesday 5th, 2-4 p.m, 4th floor
Wednesday 6th, 2-4 p.m, 3rd floor

Monday 11th, 11 a.m-1 p.m., 4th floor
Tuesday 12th, 2-4 p.m, 6th floor
Wednesday 13th, 2-4 p.m, 3rd floor
Thursday 14th, 11 a.m-1 p.m., 4th floor

Wednesday 20th, 3-5 p.m., 4th floor
Friday 22th, 10-12 a.m., 4th floor

Monday 25th, ore 11 a.m-1 p.m., 4th floor
Tuesday 26th, ore 3-5 p.m., 4th floor



Link to the videos of the lessons

01 Monday 4th

02_Tuesday_5th

03 Wednesday 6th


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