Smoothness of Lipschitz-continuous graphs with nonvanishing Levi curvature (Q1611558)

Let \(\Omega\) be a bounded open subset of \(\mathbb{R}^3\) and \(u\) a smooth function on \(\Omega\). The Levi curvature of the graph of \(u\) at a point \((\xi,u(\xi))\), \(\xi=(x,y,t)\in\Omega\), is given by \[ k(\xi,u) = {{{\mathcal L}u}\over{(1+a^2+b^2)^{3/2}(1+u_t^2)^{1/2}}} \tag \(*\) \] where \[ {\mathcal L}u = u_{xx} + u_{yy} + 2au_{xt} + 2bu_{yt} + (a^2+b^2)u_{tt} \] and \[ a=a(\nabla u)={{u_y-u_xu_t}\over{1+u_t^2}}, \qquad b=b(\nabla u)={{-u_x-u_yu_t}\over{1+u_t^2}}, \] with subscripts denoting partial differentiation. The operator \({\mathcal L}\) is degenerate elliptic. It can also be written in the form \({\mathcal L}u = (1+u_t^2)(X^2u+Y^2u)\) where \(X=\partial_x+a\partial_t\), \(Y=\partial_y+b\partial_t\). The existence and regularity of solutions of \((*)\) subject to a Dirichlet boundary condition have been studied by several authors. The existence of smooth solutions was proved by \textit{E. Bedford} and \textit{B. Gaveau} [Am. J. Math. 105, 975-1109 (1983; Zbl 0535.32008)] if \(k\) is identically zero. \textit{Z. Slodkowski} and \textit{G. Tomassini} [J. Funct. Anal. 101, 392-407 (1991; Zbl 0744.35015)] introduced a notion of Levi curvature for graphs of Lipschitz functions and proved the existence of such solutions subject to a Dirichlet boundary condition for a general class of functions \(k\). The main result of this paper is a regularity result for Lipschitz solutions of \((*)\): if \(k\in C^\infty(\Omega\times\mathbb{R})\) never vanishes, then every Lipschitz continuous graph with Levi curvature \(k\) is of class \(C^{2,\alpha}(\Omega)\) for any \(\alpha\in(0,1)\). Consequently, it is of class \(C^\infty(\Omega)\) by a regularity result of \textit{G. Citti} [Ann. Inst. Henri Poincaré, Anal. Non Linéaire 15, 517-534 (1998; Zbl 0921.35033)]. The main result is proved by introducing the regularized operator \[ {\mathcal L}_\varepsilon u = {\mathcal L}u + {{\varepsilon^2 u_{tt}}\over{1+u_t^2}}, \qquad \varepsilon>0, \] and then establishing regularity results in suitably adapted Sobolev spaces for solutions of the equation \(L_\varepsilon z=f\) where \(L_\varepsilon\) is an associated linear elliptic operator with coefficients depending on a fixed solution \(u\) of \((*)\).