Skip to main content
 

MATH4261: Stochastic Analysis IV

Please ensure you check the module availability box for each module outline, as not all modules will run in each academic year. Each module description relates to the year indicated in the module availability box, and this may change from year to year, due to, for example: changing staff expertise, disciplinary developments, the requirements of external bodies and partners, and student feedback. Current modules are subject to change in light of the ongoing disruption caused by Covid-19.

Type Open
Level 4
Credits 20
Availability Available in 2024/2025
Module Cap None.
Location Durham
Department Mathematical Sciences

Prerequisites

  • Analysis III (MATH3011) Probability II (MATH2647)

Corequisites

  • None

Excluded Combinations of Modules

  • None

Aims

  • To introduce key concepts in conditional expectations, martingale and stochastic calculus and to explore its connection with other areas such as partial differential equations (PDEs).

Content

  • Crash review of probability spaces and measures, theory of integrals, convergence Theo-rems; convergences of sequences of measurable functions;
  • Radon-Nikodym Theorem; Conditional expectations;
  • Martingales, submartingales and filtrations, submartingale inequality, upcrossings and down-crossings inequalities, submartingale convergence theorem, stopping and optional times and the Optional Sampling Theorem, Doob-Meyer Decompositions and quadratic variation pro-cesses;
  • Constructions of Brownian motions, finite dimensional distributions, Kolmogorovs Con-sistency Theorem, Kolmogorovs Continuity Theorem, weak convergence, tightness and the Wiener measure, Levys modulus of continuity of Brownian motions; Constructions of stochastic integrals, local martingales and localizations, Ito's formula, Girsanov Theorem, Burkholder-Davis-Gundy inequality;
  • Stochastic differential equations, existence and uniqueness of strong solutions, Markov property, strong Markov property, Markovian semigroups and infinitesimal generators, Feynman-Kac formula, Fokker-Planck operators and forwards and backwards Kolmogorov equations, existence and estimates of probability density;
  • Malliavin calculus: an introduction.

Learning Outcomes

Subject-specific Knowledge:

  • By the end of the module students will:
  • Be able to solve novel and/or complex problems in the field of Stochastic Analysis.
  • Have an understanding of specialised and complex theoretical mathematics in the field of Stochastic Analysis.
  • Have mastered a coherent body of knowledge of these subjects demonstrated in the following topic areas: measure and integrations; various convergence theorems of integrations and notions of variety of different convergence of sequence of measurable functions; conditional expectations and martingales; Brownian motions, stochastic integrals and stochastic differential equations; Markov property, Chapman-Kolmogorov equations and Fokker-Planck equations.
  • Be able to reproduce theoretical mathematics related to this course at a level appropriate for Level 4, including key definitions and theorems.

Subject-specific Skills:

  • Students will have developed advanced technical and scholastic skills in the area of Stochastic Analysis.

Key Skills:

  • Students will have highly specialised skills in the following areas: problem solving, abstract reasoning.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

  • Lectures demonstrate what is required to be learned and the application of the theory to practical examples.
  • Problem classes show how to solve example problems in an ideal way, revealing also the thought processes behind such solutions.
  • Formative assessments provide feedback to guide students in the correct development of their knowledge and skills in preparation for the summative assessment.
  • The end-of-year examination assesses the knowledge acquired and the ability to solve predictable and unpredictable problems.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

ActivityNumberFrequencyDurationTotalMonitored
Lectures422 per week in Michaelmas and Epiphany; 2 in Easter1 Hour42 
Problems Classes8Fortnightly in Michaelmas and Epiphany1 Hour8 
Preparation and Reading150 
Total200 

Summative Assessment

Component: ExaminationComponent Weighting: 100%
ElementLength / DurationElement WeightingResit Opportunity
End of year written examinations3 hours100 

Formative Assessment

Eight assignments to be submitted.

More information

If you have a question about Durham's modular degree programmes, please visit our FAQ webpages, Help page or our glossary of terms. If you have a question about modular programmes that is not covered by the FAQ, or a query about the on-line Undergraduate Module Handbook, please contact us.

Prospective Students: If you have a query about a specific module or degree programme, please Ask Us.

Current Students: Please contact your department.