The \(L^p\)-to-\(L^q\) boundedness of commutators with applications to the Jacobian operator (Q2246815)

The author's main Theorem is as follows: Let \(1 < p\), \(q <\infty\), let \(T\) be a ``non-degenerate'' Calderón-Zygmund operator on \(\mathbb R^d\), and let \(b \in L^1_{\mathrm{loc}}(\mathbb R^d)\). Then the commutator \([b, T] : f\mapsto b\,Tf - T(bf)\) defines a bounded operator \([b, T] : L^p(\mathbb R^d) \to L^q(\mathbb R^d)\) if and only if: (i) \(p = q\) and \(b\) has bounded mean oscillation, or (ii) \(p < q \le p^\ast= pd/(d-p)_{+}\) and \(b\) is \(\alpha\)-Hölder continuous for \(\alpha = (1/p-1/q)d\), or (iii) \(q > p^\ast\) and \(b\) is constant, or (iv) \(p > q\) and \(b = a + c\), where \(a \in L^r(\mathbb R^d)\) for \(1/r=1/q-1/p\), and \(c\) is constant. \par To be explicit, the definition of the Sobolev exponent \(p^\ast\) above is \(pd/(d-p)\), if \(p < d\), and \(\infty\) otherwise; thus \(p < q \le p^\ast\) is precisely the condition that the Hölder exponent satisfies \(\alpha \in (0, 1]\). He says that a Calderón-Zygmund operator \(Tf(x) = \int K(x, y)f(y) dy\), with usual (or weaker) assumptions on the kernel \(K\) is ``non-degenerate'' provided that, for some \(c_0 > 0\), for every \(y\in \mathbb R^d\) and \(r > 0\), there is \(x\in B(y, r)^c\) with \(|K(x, y)|\ge 1/(c_0r^d)\). When \(K(x, y) = \Omega(x - y)/|x-y|^d\) is a (possibly rough) homogeneous kernel, this requirement simply says that \(\Omega\) is not identically zero. \par Supplying the missing necessary conditions, he completes the characterization of the \(L^p \to L^q\) boundedness of commutators \([b, T]\), for arbitrary pairs of \(1 < p\), \(q < \infty\) and under minimal non-degeneracy hypotheses on \(T\). For \(p\le q\) (and especially \(p = q\)), this extends a long line of results under more restrictive assumptions on \(T\). In particular, he answers a recent question of \textit{A. K. Lerner} et al. [Bull. Lond. Math. Soc. 51, No. 1, 107--119 (2019; Zbl 1418.42021)] by showing that \(b\in \mathrm{BMO}\) is necessary for the \(L^p\) boundedness of \([b, T]\) for any non-zero homogeneous singular integral \(T\). He also deals with iterated commutators and weighted spaces. For \(p > q\), his results are new even for special classical operators with smooth kernels. As an application, he shows that every \(f\in L^p(\mathbb R^d)\) can be represented as a convergent series of normalised Jacobians \(Ju = \det \nabla u\) of \(u \in \dot{W}^{1,dp}(\mathbb R^d)^d\). This extends, from \(p = 1\) to \(p>1\), a result of \textit{R. R. Coifman} et al. [C. R. Acad. Sci., Paris, Sér. I 309, No. 18, 945--949 (1989; Zbl 0684.46044)] about \(J : \dot{W}^{1,d}(\mathbb R^d)^d \to H^1(\mathbb R^d)\), and supports a conjecture of \textit{T. Iwaniec} [J. Fourier Anal. Appl. 3, 775--796 (1997; Zbl 0915.42007)] about the solvability of the equation \(Ju = f \in L^p(\mathbb R^d)\).