Local Hölder regularity for nonlocal equations with variable powers (Q2099843)

This paper is concerned with the regularity theory for weak solutions to the following integro-differential equations: \[ \mathcal{L}_K u(x) = P.V. \int_{\mathbb{R}^n} |u(x)- u(y)|^{ p(x,y)-2}(u(x) - u(y))K(x, y) dy =0\ \text{ in }\Omega,\tag{1} \] where \(\Omega\subset\mathbb{R}^n\) is open and bounded, and \(K:\mathbb{R}^n\times\mathbb{R}^n \rightarrow\mathbb{R} \) with \(K(x, y) = K(y, x) \) is a suitable kernel with variable order \(s(\cdot, \cdot)\) and variable exponent \(p(\cdot, \cdot)\). The integro-differential operator include the \((s)\)-fractional \(p\)-Laplace operator, and the \((s)\)-fractional Laplace operator as special cases. In fact, when \(p(x, y) \equiv p, s(x, y) \equiv s \) and \(K(x, y) = \frac{1}{|x-y|^{n+sp}}\), the integro-differential equation (1) is the \((s)\)-fractional \(p\)-Laplace equation \((-\Delta)^s_pu = 0\), and moreover if \(p = 2\), it is the \((s)\)-fractional Laplace equation \((-\Delta)^su = 0\). The authors prove the local boundedness and local Hölder continuity of weak solutions to nonlocal equation (1) with variable orders and exponents under sharp assumptions, which extend and improve some corresponding regularity results for the \((s)\)-fractional \(p\)-Laplace equations, and the \((s)\)-fractional Laplace equations in the literature.