Logarithmic Sobolev inequality for some models of random walks

Abstract

We determine the logarithmic Sobolev constant for the Bernoulli-Laplace model and the time to stationarity for the symmetric simple exclusion model up to the leading order. Our method for proving the logarithmic Sobolev inequality is based on a martingale approach and is applied to the random transposition model as well. The proof for the time to stationarity is based on a general observation relating the time to stationarity to the hydrodynamical limit.