Abstract. We present numerical schemes for the strong solution of linear stochastic differential equations driven by an arbitrary number of Wiener processes. These schemes are based on the Neumann (stochastic Taylor) and Magnus expansions. Firstly, we consider the case when the governing linear diffusion vector fields commute with each other, but not with the linear drift vector field. We prove that numerical methods based on the Magnus expansion are more accurate in the mean-square sense than corresponding stochastic Taylor integration schemes. Secondly, we derive the maximal rate of convergence for arbitrary multi-dimensional stochastic integrals approximated by their conditional expectations. Consequently, for general nonlinear stochastic differential equations with non-commuting vector fields, we deduce explicit formulae for the relation between error and computational costs for methods of arbitrary order. Thirdly, we consider the consequences in two numerical studies, one of which is an application arising in stochastic linear-quadratic optimal control.

Abstract. We present Lie group integrators for nonlinear stochastic differential equations with non-commutative vector fields whose solution evolves on a smooth finite dimensional manifold. Given a Lie group action that generates transport along the manifold, we pull back the stochastic flow on the manifold to the Lie group via the action, and subsequently pull back the flow to the corresponding Lie algebra via the exponential map. We construct an approximation to the stochastic flow in the Lie algebra via closed operations and then push back to the Lie group and then to the manifold, thus ensuring our approximation lies in the manifold. We call such schemes stochastic Munthe-Kaas methods after their deterministic counterparts. We also present stochastic Lie group integration schemes based on Castell-Gaines methods. These involve using an underlying ordinary differential integrator to approximate the flow generated by a truncated stochastic exponential Lie series. They become stochastic Lie group integrator schemes if we use Munthe-Kaas methods as the underlying ordinary differential integrator. Further, we show that some Castell-Gaines methods are uniformly more accurate than the corresponding stochastic Taylor schemes. Lastly we demonstrate our methods by simulating the dynamics of a free rigid body such as a satellite and an autonomous underwater vehicle both perturbed by two independent multiplicative stochastic noise processes.

We consider stochastic differential systems driven by continuous semimartingales and governed by non-commuting vector fields. We prove that the logarithm of the flowmap is an exponential Lie series. This relies on a natural change of basis to vector fields for the associated quadratic covariation processes, analogous to Stratonovich corrections. The flowmap can then be expanded as a series in compositional powers of vector fields and the logaritm of the flowmap can thus be expanded in the Lie algebra of vector fields. Further, we give a direct self-contained proof of the corresponding Chen-Strichartz formula which provides an explicit formula for the Lie series coefficients. Such exponential Lie series are important in the development of strong Lie group integration schemes that ensure approximate solutions themselves lie in any homogeneous manifold on which the solution evolves.Comment: 25 page

We investigate the algebraic structure underlying the stochastic Taylor solution expansion for stochastic differential systems. Our motivation is to construct efficient integrators. These are approximations that generate strong numerical integration schemes that are more accurate than the corresponding stochastic Taylor approximation, independent of the governing vector fields and to all orders. The sinhlog integrator introduced by Malham & Wiese (2009) is one example. Herein, we show that the natural context to study stochastic integrators and their properties is the convolution shuffle algebra of endomorphisms; establish a new whole class of efficient integrators; and then prove that, within this class, the sinhlog integrator generates the optimal efficient stochastic integrator at all orders.