On the joint nonlinear filtering-smoothing of diffusion processes

The smoothing of diffusions dx_t = f(x_t) dt + σ(x_t) dw_t, measured by a noisy sensor dy_t = h(x_t) dt + dv_t, where w_t and v_t are independent Wiener processes, is considered in this paper. By focussing our attention on the joint p.d.f. of (x_τ x_t), 0 ≤ τ < t, conditioned on the observation path {y_s, 0 ≤ s ≤ t}, the smoothing problem is represented as a solution of an appropriate joint filtering problem of the process, together with its random initial conditions. The filtering problem thus obtained possesses a solution represented by a Zakai-type forward equation. This solution of the smoothing problem differs from the common approach where, by concentrating on the conditional p.d.f. of x_τ alone, a set of ‘forward and reverse’ equations needs to be solved.