Calculus of Variations and Geometric Measure Theory

A. Pinzi - G. Savaré

Nested superposition principle for random measures and the geometry of the Wasserstein on Wasserstein space

created by pinzi on 10 Oct 2025
modified on 23 Dec 2025

[BibTeX]

preprint

Inserted: 10 oct 2025
Last Updated: 23 dec 2025

Year: 2025

ArXiv: 2510.07523 PDF

Abstract:

We study the geometric structure of the space of random measures $\mathcal{P}_p(\mathcal{P}_p(X))$, endowed with the Wasserstein on Wasserstein metric, where $(X, d)$ is a complete separable metric space. In this setting, we prove a metric superposition principle, in the spirit of the result by S. Lisini, that will allow us to recover important geometric features of the space. When $X$ is $\mathbb{R}^d$, we study the differential structure of $\mathcal{P}_p(\mathcal{P}_p(\mathbb{R}^d))$ in analogy with the simpler Wasserstein space $\mathcal{P}_p(\mathbb{R}^d)$. We show that continuity equations for random measures involving the abstract concept of derivation acting on cylinder functions can be more conveniently described by suitable non-local vector fields $b:[0,T]\times \mathbb{R}^d \times \mathcal{P}(\mathbb{R}^d) \to \mathbb{R}^d$. In this way, we can: 1) characterize the absolutely continuous curves on the Wasserstein on Wasserstein space; 2) define and characterize its tangent bundle; 3) prove a superposition principle for the solutions to the standard non-local continuity equation in terms of solutions of interacting particle systems.


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