Fokker-Planck Equations for Stochastic Dynamical Systems with Symmetric Lévy Motions

Abstract: The Fokker-Planck equations for stochastic dynamical systems, with non-Gaussian $\alpha-$stable symmetric L\'evy motions, have a nonlocal or fractional Laplacian term. This nonlocality is the manifestation of the effect of non-Gaussian fluctuations. Taking advantage of the Toeplitz matrix structure of the time-space discretization, a fast and accurate numerical algorithm is proposed to simulate the nonlocal Fokker-Planck equations, under either absorbing or natural conditions. The scheme is shown to satisfy a discrete maximum principle and to be convergent. It is validated against a known exact solution and the numerical solutions obtained by using other methods. The numerical results for two prototypical stochastic systems, the Ornstein-Uhlenbeck system and the double-well system are shown.