Discrete time random walks on a finite set naturally translate via a oneto-one correspondence to discrete Laplace operators. Typically, Ollivier curvature has been investigated via random walks. We first extend the definition of Ollivier curvature to general weighted graphs and then give a strikingly simple representation of Ollivier curvature using the graph Laplacian. Using the Laplacian as a generator of a continuous time Markov chain, we connect Ollivier curvature with the heat equation which is strongly related to continuous time random walks. In particular, we prove that a lower bound on the Ollivier curvature is equivalent to a certain Lipschitz decay of solutions to the heat equation. This is a discrete analogue to a celebrated Ricci curvature lower bound characterization by Renesse and Sturm. Our representation of Ollivier curvature via the Laplacian allows us to deduce a Laplacian comparison principle by which we prove non-explosion and improved diameter bounds.Date: December 5, 2017. 5.1. Discrete and continuous time Markov kernels 30 5.2. Another Ricci curvature characterization 32
We introduce a new version of a curvature-dimension inequality for non-negative curvature. We use this inequality to prove a logarithmic Li-Yau inequality on finite graphs. To formulate this inequality, we introduce a non-linear variant of the calculus of Bakry and Émery. In the case of manifolds, the new calculus and the new curvaturedimension inequality coincide with the common ones. In the case of graphs, they coincide in a limit. In this sense, the new curvature-dimension inequality gives a more general concept of curvature on graphs and on manifolds. We show that Ricciflat graphs have a non-negative curvature in this sense. Moreover, a variety of nonlogarithmic Li-Yau type gradient estimates can be obtained by using the new Bakry-Émery type calculus. Furthermore, we use these Li-Yau inequalities to derive Harnack inequalities on graphs.
We study the Ollivier-Ricci curvature of graphs as a function of the chosen idleness. We show that this idleness function is concave and piecewise linear with at most 3 linear parts, with at most 2 linear parts in the case of a regular graph. We then apply our result to show that the idleness function of the Cartesian product of two regular graphs is completely determined by the idleness functions of the factors.
We prove diameter bounds for graphs having a positive Ricci-curvature bound in the Bakry-Émery sense. Our first result using only curvature and maximal vertex degree is sharp in the case of hypercubes. The second result depends on an additional dimension bound, but is independent of the vertex degree. In particular, the second result is the first Bonnet-Myers type theorem for unbounded graph Laplacians. Moreover, our results improve diameter bounds from [6] and [10] and solve a conjecture from [4].
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