Parabolic equations without a minimum principle

Abstract

In this thesis, we consider several parabolic equations for which the minimum principle fails. We first consider a two-point boundary value problem for a one dimensional diffusion equation. We show the uniqueness and existence of the solution for initial data, which may not be continuous at two boundary points. We also examine the circumstances when these solutions admit a probabilistic interpretation. Some partial results are given for analogous problems in more than one dimension.