\(C^{k, \alpha}\)-regularity of solutions to quasilinear equations structured on Hörmander's vector fields (Q2254288)

Let \(X=(X_1,X_2,\dots ,X_q)\) be a system of smooth Hörmander vector fields in a smooth bounded domain \(\Omega \subset \mathbb R^n\) with \(q<n\). The authors consider nonvariational linear equations of the form \[ Lu\equiv\sum_{i,j=1}^qa_{ij}(x) X_i X_j u+\sum_{i=1}^q b_i(x) X_iu+c(x)u=f, \] where \(\{a_{ij}\}\) is a real symmetric uniformly elliptic matrix. They prove Schauder regularity results in the Hölder space \(C^{k,\alpha}\) with respect to the Carnot-Caratheodory metric. More precisely, if \(u\in C^{2,\alpha}(\Omega)\) is a solution of \(Lu=f\) and \(a_{ij}\), \(b_i\), \(c\in C^{k,\alpha}(\Omega)\), then \(u\in C^{k+2,\alpha}_{\operatorname{loc}}(\Omega)\). The result is already known in the case when \(k\) is even. It has been proven by Bramanti and Brandolini in a previous paper. Now, by exploiting the a priori estimates proved by Bramanti and Brandolin, the authors show a different way of proving a regularity result which holds for all natural \(k\), based on the Banach-Caccioppoli fixed point theorem. Moreover, the regularity result and a standard bootstrap argument yield the Schauder regularity result for the quasilinear equations \[ Qu\equiv\sum_{i,j=1}^qa_{ij}(x,u,Xu) X_iX_ju+b(x,u,Xu)=0, \] where \(\{ a_{ij}\} \) is a uniformly elliptic matrix, obtaining also that any \(C^{2,\alpha}(\Omega)\) solution to \(Qu=0\) is smooth as soon as \(a_{ij},b\) are. Moreover, both the linear and the quasilinear regularity results have been extended to evolution operators \(\partial_t-L\) and \(\partial_t-Q\).