Sharp capacity estimates for annuli in weighted \(\mathbf {R}^n\) and in metric spaces (Q2406021)

Let \((X,d,\mu)\) be a metric measure spaces equipped with a doubling measure and define -- following \textit{N. Shanmugalingam} [Rev. Mat. Iberoam. 16, No. 2, 243--279 (2000; Zbl 0974.46038)] -- `Newtonian' Sobolev spaces \(N^{1,p}(X)\), \(p\in [1,\infty)\), based on the quasi-norms \[ \|f\|_{N^{1,p}(X)}^p = \|f\|_{L^p(\mu)} + \inf_g \|g\|_{L^p(X)}, \] where \(g=g_f\) is any upper gradient (very weak gradient in the sense of \textit{J. Heinonen} and \textit{P. Koskela} [Acta Math. 181, No. 1, 1--61 (1998; Zbl 0915.30018)]) of \(f\). The Sobolev \(p\)-capacity of a set \(E\subset X\) is defined as \[ C_p(E) = \inf\left\{\|u\|^p_{N^{1,p}} : u|_E \geq 1\quad\text{a.e.}\right\}, \] and the variational \(p\)-capacity of \(E\subset\Omega\) with \(\Omega\subset X\) open is defined as \[ \mathrm{cap}_p(E,\Omega)= \inf\left\{\|g_u\|^p_{L^p(\mu)} : u\in N^{1,p}(X),\;u|_{X\setminus\Omega}=0, u|E\geq 0\text{\;\;a.e.}\right\}, \] where \(g_u\) is an upper gradient of \(u\). Note that for \(N^{1,p}\)-functions the notions of a.e. (almost everywhere -- exceptional sets in the sense of measure) and q.e. (quasi everywhere -- exceptional sets in the sense of capacity) coincide. The space \(X\) is said to support a global \(p\)-Poincaré inequality at \(x\) if for all \(f\in L^1(\mu)\) and all upper gradients \(g=g_f\) of \(f\) one has \[ \frac 1{\mu(B)}\int_B \left|f- \frac 1{\mu(B)}\int_B f\,d\mu\right|\,d\mu\leq C r \left(\frac 1{\mu(\lambda B)}\int_{\lambda B} g^p\,d\mu\right)^{1/p} \] for suitable absolute constants \(C>0\), \(\lambda\geq 1\) and all balls \(B=B(x,r)\). Define sets \[ \begin{aligned} \underline Q_0 & := \big\{q>0 \mid \exists C_q,\;\forall 0<r<R\leq 1 :\mu(B(x,r))/\mu(B(x,R))\leq C_q r^q/R^q\big\},\\ \overline Q_0 & := \big\{q>0 \mid \exists C_q,\;\forall 0<r<R\leq 1 : \mu(B(x,r))/\mu(B(x,R))\geq C_q r^q/R^q\big\}.\end{aligned} \] The main results of the paper are the following: If \(X\) supports a \(p\)-Poincaré inequality, \(\mu\) is doubling, i.e., \(\mu(B(x,2r))\leq C\mu(B(x,r))\), and \(0<4R_0<\text{diam}(X)\), then one has {\parindent=0.7cm \begin{itemize}\item[--] \(\mathrm{cap}_p(B_r,B_R)\simeq r^{-p}\mu(B(x,r))\) if \(p\) is in the open interior of \(\underline Q_0\) and \(0<2r\leq R\leq R_0\), \item[--] \(\mathrm{cap}_p(B_r,B_R)\simeq R^{-p}\mu(B(x,R))\) if \(p\) is in the open interior of \(\overline Q_0\) and \(0<2r\leq R\leq R_0\). \end{itemize}} Here \(\simeq\) denotes two-sided estimates with absolute multiplicative constants. The borderline cases where \(p = \max\underline Q_0\) or \(p=\min\overline Q_0\) involve additional multiplicative logarithmic factors. As an application the authors obtain criteria for points to have zero, respectively positive, capacity. The paper contains a plethora of examples illustrating the usefulness and sharpness of the estimates.