On Absolute Continuity and Singularity of Multidimensional Diffusions

Abstract

Consider two laws \(P\) and \(Q\) of multidimensional possibly explosive diffusions with common diffusion coefficient \(\mathfrak{a}\) and drift coefficients \(\mathfrak{b}\) and \(\mathfrak{b} + \mathfrak{a} \mathfrak{c}\), respectively, and the law \(P^\circ\) of an auxiliary diffusion with diffusion coefficient \(\langle \mathfrak{c},\mathfrak{a}\mathfrak{c}\rangle^{-1}\mathfrak{a}\) and drift coefficient \(\langle \mathfrak{c}, \mathfrak{a}\mathfrak{c}\rangle^{-1}\mathfrak{b}\). We show that \(P \ll Q\) if and only if the auxiliary diffusion \(P^\circ\) explodes almost surely and that \(P\perp Q\) if and only if the auxiliary diffusion \(P^\circ\) almost surely does not explode. As applications we derive a Khasminskii-type integral test for absolute continuity and singularity, an integral test for explosion of time-changed Brownian motion, and we discuss applications to mathematical finance.