A removability theorem for Sobolev functions and detour sets (Q2197636)

Removability of compact sets for continuous Sobolev functions is studied, i.e., if \(K\) be a compact set in \(\mathbb{R}^n\) and \(f \in C(\mathbb{R}^n)\cap W^{1,p}(\mathbb{R}^n\setminus K)\), is \(f \in W^{1,p}(\mathbb{R}^n)\)? The problem is intimately connected to the removability problem for quasiconformal maps: If \(f: U \rightarrow\mathbb{R}^n\) is a homeomorphism and \(f|U \setminus K\) is quasiconformal, is \(f\) quasiconformal in \(U\)? The stronger removability, without the continuity assumption, for Sobolev functions has been studied by [\textit{P. Koskela}, Ark. Mat. 37, No. 2, 291--304 (1999; Zbl 1070.46502)]. In the plane it has been shown that boundaries of domains \(\Omega\) satisfying the quasihyperbolic boundary condition and, in particular, boundaries of John domains are removable [\textit{P. Jones} and \textit{S. Smirnov}, Ark. Math. 38, No. 2, 363--379 (2000)]. The author concentrates on sets \(K\) which have infinitely many complementary components. A typical such set is the standard \(1/3\)-Sierpinski carpet \(S\) in the plane which is not \(W^{1,p}\)-removable for any \(p \geq 1\) and so the author focuses on the Sierpinski and Apollonian gaskets. The first is constructed using triangles and the latter using disks. It is shown that the planar Sierpinski and Apollonia gaskets are removable for \(p > 2\). The proof, which holds in \(\mathbb{R}^n\), is based on the result concerning detour sets. This means, roughly speaking, that the set \(K\) has the property that for almost every line \(L\) intersecting \(K\) there is a path which intersects only finitely many complementary components of \(K\) and still remains arbitrarily close to \(L\). In addition to this the complementary components \(D\) of \(K\) need to be uniformly Hölder. It is shown that for a Hölder domain each point \(x \in \partial D\) can be reached from the base point by a quasihyperbolic geodesic, see also [\textit{O. Martio} and \textit{J. Väisälä}, Pure Appl. Math. Q. 7, No. 2, 395--409 (2011; Zbl 1246.30041)]. The results are used to obtain equivalent conditions for a homeomorphism \(f: \mathbb{R}^2 \rightarrow \mathbb{R}^2\) that is quasiconformal in \(\mathbb{R}^2 \setminus K\) where \(K\) is a Sierpinki gasket to be quasiconformal in \(\mathbb{R}^2\). The paper also contains a nice overview of removability results for Sobolev functions outside different Sierpinski-type sets.