One-side Liouville Theorem for hypoelliptic Ornstein--Uhlenbeck operators having drifts with imaginary spectrum

Abstract

We prove the Liouville theorem for \emph{non-negative} solutions to (possibly degenerate) Ornstein-Uhlenbeck equations whose linear drift has imaginary spectrum. This provides an answer to a question raised by Priola and Zabczyk since the proof of their Theorem characterizing the Ornstein-Uhlenbeck operators having the Liouville property for \emph{bounded} solutions. Our approach is based on a Liouville property at ``$t=-\infty$" for the solutions to the relevant Kolmogorov equation which, in turn, derives from a new parabolic Harnack-type inequality for its non-negative ancient solutions.