First-passage and escape problems in the Feller process

Abstract

The Feller process is an one-dimensional diffusion process with linear drift and state-dependent diffusion coefficient vanishing at the origin. The process is positive definite and it is this property along with its linear character that have made Feller process a convenient candidate for the modeling of a number of phenomena ranging from single neuron firing to volatility of financial assets. While general properties of the process are well known since long, less known are properties related to level crossing such as the first-passage and the escape problems. In this work we thoroughly address these questions.