Sharp boundary \(\varepsilon\)-regularity of optimal transport maps (Q2656121)

If \(d\ge2\), \(\alpha\in(0,1)\), \(\lambda_0,\lambda_1\in[1/2,2]\), and \(\Omega_0,\Omega_1\subset\mathbb{R}^d\) are bounded open sets with \(C^{1,\alpha}\)-boundary, then \[ \min\limits_{T\sharp(\lambda_{0}\chi_{\Omega_0})=\lambda_{1}\chi_{\Omega_1}}\int\limits_{\mathbb{R}^d}|T(x)-x|^2\lambda_{0\chi\Omega_0}\,dx \tag{\(*\)} \] is the optimal transport problem between constant densities \(\lambda_{0}\chi_{\Omega_0}\) and \(\lambda_{1}\chi_{\Omega_1}\) of the same mass, where \(\chi_{\Omega_i}\) denotes the characteristic function of \(\Omega_i\) and \(T\sharp(\lambda_{0}\chi_{\Omega_0)}\)) denotes the push-forward by \(T\) of the measure \(\lambda_{0}\chi_{\Omega_0}\,dx\). If \(T\) is a solution of \((*)\), then it is said to satisfy the tangency condition in an open ball \(B_R(p)\subset\mathbb{R}^d\) when \(p\in\partial\Omega_0\cap\partial\Omega_1\), \(\nu_0(p)=\nu_1(p)\), \(\partial\Omega_i\cap B_R(p)(p)\) is connected (\(i=0,1\)), where \(\nu_i\) denotes the outer unit normal of \(\partial\Omega_i\). A solution \(T\) is said to satisfy the topological condition in \(B_R(p)\) when \(T(B_{R/2}(p)\cap\Omega_0)\subset B_R(p)\) and \(T^{-1}(B_{R/2}(p)\cap\Omega_1)\subset B_R(p)\). In [Adv. Math. 273, 540--567 (2015; Zbl 1307.49045)], \textit{S. Chen} and \textit{A. Figalli} developed an \(\varepsilon\)-regularity theory at the boundary for a general class of Monge-Ampère type equations arising in optimal transportation. In this paper, the authors develop a boundary \(\varepsilon\)-regularity theory for optimal transport maps between bounded open sets with \(C^{1, \alpha}\)-boundary. They clarify how the regularity of the boundary \(\partial\Omega_i\) influences boundary regularity of the map \(T:\Omega_0\to\Omega_1\), focusing on the simplest case of constant densities. To this end, they develop a boundary \(\varepsilon\)-regularity theory on the intrinsic \(L^2\)-level, building on the interiors \(\varepsilon\)-regularity theory. The authors assert sharp \(C^{1,\alpha}\)-regularity of \(T\) near the boundary under certain assumptions, which roughly mean that \(T\) is quantitatively close to being the identity. The main result of the paper states that there exist constants \(\varepsilon, C>0\) depending only on \(d\) such that, if the solution \(T\) of \((*)\) satisfies the tangency and topological conditions in \(B_R(p)\) for \(p\in\mathbb{R}^d\), \(R>0\), and \(\lambda_0,\lambda_1\in[1/2,2]\), and if \(\varepsilon'\le \varepsilon\), then \(T\) is of class \(C^{1,\alpha}\) in \(\overline{B_{R/16}(p)\cap\Omega_0}\), and there is the estimate \(R^{2\alpha}[\nabla T]^2_{\alpha,B_{R/16}(p)}\le C\varepsilon'\), where \[ \varepsilon'=\frac1{R^{d+2}}\int\limits_{B_R(p)}|T-x|^2\lambda_{0}\chi_{\Omega_0}\,dx+R^{2\alpha}[\nu_0]^2_{\alpha,B_{R/16}(p)}+R^{2\alpha}[\nu_10]^2_{\alpha,B_{R/16}(p)}. \] This result generalizes Chen and Figalli's boundary \(\varepsilon\)-regularity theory [loc. cit.] on \(L^\infty\)-level in a specific direction.