Non-removability of the Sierpiński gasket (Q2417972)

The paper is devoted to the non-removability problem for the Sierpiński gasket under quasiconformal maps and Sobolev functions from \(W^{1,p}(U)\). A function \(f\) is in \(W^{1,p}(U)\), \(p\in[1,\infty]\), for an open set \(U\subset\mathbb R^n\) if \(f\in L^p(U)\) and \(f\) has weak derivatives in \(U\) that are in \(L^p(U)\). A compact set \(K\subset U\subset\mathbb R^2\) is said to be quasiconformally removable inside the domain \(U\) if any homeomorphism of \(U\), which is quasiconformal on \(U\setminus K\), is quasiconformal on \(U\). Similarly, a compact set \(K\subset\mathbb R^n\) is \(W^{1,p}\)-removable if any real-valued function that is continuous in \(\mathbb R^n\) and belongs to \(W^{1,p}(\mathbb R^n\setminus K)\) is in \(W^{1,p}(\mathbb R^n)\). The author proves the following theorem. Theorem 1.3. Let \(K\subset\mathbb R^n\) be a compact set of positive Lebesgue measure and \(1\leq p<\infty\). Then \(K\) is non-removable for \(W^{1,p}\). The statement of Theorem 1.3 does not hold for \(W^{1,\infty}\). Namely, the author shows that there exists a compact set \(K\subset\mathbb R^n\) of positive Lebesgue measure that is \(W^{1,\infty}\)-removable. The author applies this to the Sierpiński gasket. The Sierpiński gasket is constructed starting from an equilateral triangle in the plane of side length 1 and subdivided into four equilateral triangles of side lengths \(\frac{1}{2}\). After removing the middle triangle, one proceeds inductively subdividing each of the remaining three triangles into four equilateral triangles of side length \(\frac{1}{2^2}\), and so on. The remaining compact set \(K\) is the Sierpiński gasket. The author proves the following statements. Theorem 1.6. The Sierpiński gasket is non-removable for \(W^{1,p}\), \(1\leq p\leq2\). Theorem 1.6 shows that the author's earlier result on \(W^{1,p}\)-removability of the Sierpiński gasket for \(p>2\) is sharp. Theorem 1.7. Let \(h:\mathbb R^2\to\mathbb R^2\) be a homeomorphism and \(K\) be the Sierpiński gasket. Then \(h(K)\) is non-removable for \(W^{1,2}\). Theorem 1.8. The Sierpiński gasket is non-removable for quasiconformal maps. The author conjectures that all Sierpiński carpets are non-removable for quasiconformal maps and for \(W^{1,p}\) functions, \(1\leq p\leq\infty\).