We consider the problem of controlling the diffusion coefficient of a diffusion with constant negative drift rate such that the probability of hitting a given lower barrier up to some finite time horizon is minimized. We assume that the diffusion rate can be chosen in a progressively measurable way with values in the interval [0, 1]. We prove that the value function is regular, concave in the space variable, and that it solves the associated HJB equation. To do so, we show that the heat equation on a right triangle, with a boundary condition that is discontinuous in the corner, possesses a smooth solution.
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