Analysis on nilpotent groups (Q1077554)

G denotes a simply-connected real nilpotent Lie group, L the Lie algebra of G, \(L_ 1=L\), \(L_{k+1}=[L_ k,L]\), \(d=\sum k \dim (L_ k/L_{k+1})=\) the Dirichlet dimension of G, \(\delta =\sum (m+1) \dim (K_{m+1}/K_ m)\), where \(K_ m\) (m\(\geq 0)\) denotes the subspace of L generated by all commutators of length \(\leq m\). Take \(X_ 1,...,X_ k\in L\) and assume that \(X_ j mod[L,L]\) \((j=1,...,k)\) span L mod[L,L]. The main results are easily stated as follows: (1) If \(d\geq 3\), there exists a constant \(C>0\) such that \[ \| f\|_{2d/(d-2)}\leq C\sum^{k}_{j=1}\| X_ jf\|_ 2,\quad \forall f\in C_ 0^{\infty}(G). \] (2) In general (when \(d\geq 1)\), there exists \(C>0\) such that \[ \| f\|_{d/(d-1)}\leq C\sum^{k}_{j=1}\| X_ jf\|_ 1. \] The various \(L^ p\) norms are with respect to Haar measure on G. The proofs are another matter. The arguments are put together from several earlier papers of the author [cf. the author's notes in C. R. Acad. Sci., Paris, Sér. I since 1984: 299, 651-654 (1984; Zbl 0566.31006); 301, 143-144, 559-560, 865-868 (1985; Zbl 0582.43002, Zbl 0582.43003, Zbl 0586.47039); also J. Funct. Anal. 63, 215-239, 240-260 (1985; Zbl 0573.60059)] and others and also bring in new ideas. The usual ingredients of Lie theory are combined in an ingenious step-wise way with delicate estimates involving the semigroup exp(-t\(\sum X^ 2_ j)\) of heat conduction. The optimal nature of the norm indices is discussed and the Dirichlet dimension d is related to the growth of volume on G, as measured through the \(X_ j's\) in a natural way.