Obstacle problems for integro-differential operators: higher regularity of free boundaries (Q2281343)

In this very interesting paper the authors analyze the higher regularity of free boundaries in obstacle problems for integro-differential operators. Their main result proves that, once free boundaries are \(C^{1,\alpha}\), then they are \(C^{\infty}\). More precisely, consider the family of integro-differential operators of the form \[ Lu(x)=\text{ p.v. } \int_{\mathbb{R}^n}(u(x)-u(x+y))K(y)dy, \] with an even, homogeneous kernel \(K\in C^{\infty}(\mathbb{S}^{n-1})\) satisfying \[ \frac{\lambda}{|y|^{n+2s}}\le K(y)\le\frac{\Lambda}{|y|^{n+2s}}, \ \forall y\in \mathbb{R}^n, \ \text{ with } 0<\lambda\le \Lambda, \ s\in (0,1). \] Given an obstacle \(\varphi\in C^{\infty}(\mathbb{R}^n)\) with \(\{\varphi>0\}\) bounded, the obstacle problem considered is \[ \min\{Lv, v-\varphi\}=0 \ \text{ in } \mathbb{R}^n, \qquad \lim\limits_{|x|\rightarrow\infty}v(x)=0. \] The key ingredients are optimal boundary regularity estimates for solutions to linear nonlocal equations in \(C^{k,\alpha}\) domains. These crucial estimates extend previously known results by Grubb (for \(k=\infty\)) and by the second author and Serra (for \(k=1\)), and allow the authors to follow the strategy of \textit{D. De Silva} and \textit{O. Savin} [Discrete Contin. Dyn. Syst. 35, No. 12, 6155--6163 (2015; Zbl 1336.35096)] to prove the higher regularity of free boundaries.