Uniform gradient estimates on manifolds with a boundary and applications (Q1755666)

Let $M$ be a $d$-dimensional complete and connected Riemannian manifold with distance $\rho$, the Levi-Civita connection $\nabla$ and the Laplace-Beltrami operator $\Delta$. For a smooth vector field $Z$ one defines the elliptic operator $L = \Delta+Z$. Throughout, it is assumed that the Bakry-Emery Ricci curvature tensor $\mathrm{Ric}^Z(X,X):= (\mathrm{Ric}-\langle\nabla Z,\cdot\rangle)(X,X)\geq K_Z |X|^2$, $X\in\mathrm T M$ is bounded below. In such a setting it is well-known on a manifold \textit{without boundary} that the semigroup corresponding to the $\frac 12 L$-diffusion has a uniform gradient estimate. This result is recovered in the present paper and extended to manifolds with boundary, covering both Dirichlet and Neumann boundary conditions. The main results of the paper are the following estimates: \begin{itemize} \item[$\bullet$] for manifolds with Dirichlet boundary condition. It is assumed that $Z$ is bounded, $\mathrm{Ric}^Z\geq K_Z$, $\mathrm{Ric}\geq K_0$ and the mean curvature of the boundary satisfies $H_{\partial M}\geq \theta$ (hence, the boundary is mean-convex). Then one has for all bounded measurable $u\in B_b(M)$ \[ \|dP_t^Du\|_\infty \leq s^{-\frac12} e^{-\frac 12 K_Z\wedge 0}\left(C(s)+\frac14 C(s)^{-1}\right)\|u\|_\infty\quad\forall 0<s\leq t \] where the constant $C(s)$ is $\sqrt{\frac 2\pi} + \sqrt s \alpha_0\min\left(2, 1+\alpha_0\sqrt{\frac{s}{2\pi}}\right)$ and $2\alpha_0$ is $\max\left(\theta^-, \sqrt{(d-1)K_0^-}\right)+\|Z\|_\infty$. \item[$\bullet$] for manifolds with Neumann boundary condition. It is assumed that there is some $\phi\in C_b^2(M)$ such that $\phi\geq 1$ and the second fundamental form of the boundary is bounded below by $-N\log\phi$. Moreover, it is assumed that \[ \mathrm{Ric}^Z + 2L\log\phi - 2|\nabla\log\phi|^2\geq K_\phi. \] Then one has for all bounded measurable $u\in B_b(M)$ \[ \|dP_t^N\|_\infty^2 \leq \frac 2\pi \frac{K_\phi}{e^{K_\phi t}-1}\|\phi\|_\infty^2\|u\|_\infty^2\quad\forall t>0. \] \end{itemize} The proofs essentially rely on Bismut's formula for (the derivative of) the semi-group.