Discrete isoperimetric and Poincaré-type inequalities

Abstract

We study some discrete isoperimetric and Poincaré-type inequalities for product probability measures μn on the discrete cube {0, 1}n and on the lattice Zn. In particular we prove sharp lower estimates for the product measures of 'boundaries' of arbitrary sets in the discrete cube. More generally, we characterize those probability distributions μ on Z which satisfy these inequalities on Zn. The class of these distributions can be described by a certain class of monotone transforms of the two-sided exponential measure. A similar characterization of distributions on R which satisfy Poincaré inequalities on the class of convex functions is proved in terms of variances of suprema of linear processes.