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For the Bessel processthe scale function of a one-dimensional diffusion is $s(x)=x^{2-d}$ when $d\ne 2$. If $0<ϵ<x<R$, the boundary hitting probability from a diffusion scale function gives

If $d<2$, then $s(0)=0$ and $s(R)\to \infty$. Letting $ϵ\downarrow 0$ and then $R\to \infty$ shows that the process cannot escape to infinity before reaching zero. The exit time from each bounded interval is finite almost surely, so $T_0<\infty$ almost surely.

If $d>2$, then $s(ϵ)\to \infty$ in absolute value as $ϵ\downarrow 0$. Equivalently,Thus the process does not hit zero. The borderline case $d=2$ has scale function $\log x$ and also does not hit zero. This is the Hitting-zero classification for a Bessel process.

As printed, the requested conclusion is false for $\delta \ne 1$. On an interval on which $X$ stays positive, the time change of a continuous process satisfies $d{\tau }_s=ds/({\delta }^2{X}_s^{2(\delta -1)/\delta })$. The time-changed martingale term has quadratic variation $s$, so the Lévy characterization of Brownian motion identifies it with a standard Brownian motion $\tilde{B}$. Dividing the drift in part (a) by the derivative of the clock givesConsequently the construction actually satisfieswhich is the Bessel process equation of dimension $2-1/\delta$. It equals the paper's claimed drift $(\delta -1)/(2X_s)$ only when $\delta =1$. The mismatch between the specified power, clock, and conclusion is therefore a typographical error in the question.

For the equation actually produced by the preceding construction, namely the Bessel process equation of dimension $2-1/\delta$, the drift has Lipschitz continuity on every compact subset of $(0,\infty )$. Starting at any positive time and position, pathwise uniqueness therefore makes the time-changed process agree until its first hit of zero with the maximal local solution of a stochastic differential equation. For $\delta >1$, its dimension lies in $(1,2)$, so it can hit zero; the time-change construction then supplies further excursions, whereas the maximal local solution on $(0,\infty )$ stops at that first hit.

For $\delta =1$, $X_s=|B_s|$ is Reflected Brownian motion; away from zero it agrees with the maximal local solution of $dX=d\tilde{B}$. For the dimension-$\delta$ equation printed in the paper, the preceding construction does not agree with the maximal local solution unless $\delta =1$, for the coefficient mismatch established in part (d).

For every $a>0$, defineThe Brownian scaling theorem makes $\hat{B}$ a standard Brownian motion, and substitution shows that $(\hat{X},\hat{Y})$ satisfies the same coupled Bessel process equations from initial values $(x/a,y/a)$. Both hitting times are divided by $a^2$, so their order is unchanged. Taking $a=x$ or comparing any two pairs with the same ratio proves that $\mathbb{P}({\tau }_x>{\tau }_y)$ depends only on $x/y$.

For a three-dimensional Bessel process started at one, $R$ stays strictly positive and satisfies $dR=dW+R^{-1}dt$. The Itô formula makes its reciprocal a local martingale, but $\mathbb{E}[R_t^{-1}]=2\Phi (1/\sqrt{t})-1<1$ for $t>0$. Thus the reciprocal is a strict local martingale. It can deflate the market with constant bank account and stock price $R$ without yielding a true pricing density for the bank account.

A strict local martingale is a local martingale that is not a true martingale. The reciprocal of a three-dimensional Bessel process is an example: it is a nonnegative continuous local martingale whose expectation decreases strictly.

The radial part of three-dimensional Brownian motion started away from the origin is a Bessel process of dimension three. The radial Laplacian is $\Delta |x|=2/|x|$, so the Itô formula gives the displayed equation. The radial martingale has unit quadratic variation rate and is Brownian motion by the Lévy characterization of Brownian motion. The reciprocal $1/R$ is a local martingale. Stopping it on $(\epsilon ,M)$ gives ${\mathbb{P}}_x(T_{\epsilon }<T_M)=\epsilon (M-x)/(x(M-\epsilon ))$. Letting $\epsilon \downarrow 0$ shows that zero is not hit.

A dimension-two Bessel process starting at $r>0$ has the displayed marginal law, where $G_1,G_2$ are independent standard normal random variables. Take the norm of a planar Brownian motion starting at $(r,0)$. Planar Brownian motion avoids a fixed point, so the norm stays positive; Itô formula gives drift $1/(2R)$ and a martingale term of bracket $t$. The Lévy characterization of Brownian motion identifies that term as its driving Brownian motion. The squared radius divided by $t$ has a noncentral chi-squared distribution with two degrees of freedom and noncentrality $r^2/t$.