Sobolev mappings between RCD spaces and applications to harmonic maps: a heat kernel approach (Q6132317)

The aim of the paper is the study of Sobolev maps defined between non-smooth spaces. More precisely, maps from a finite dimensional \(\mathrm{RCD}\) space \((X,\mathsf{d}_X,\mathfrak{m}_X)\) to a non-collapsed compact \(\mathrm{RCD}\) space \((Y,\mathsf{d}_Y, \mathcal{H}^N)\) are considered. The approach is based on the use of the heat kernel embedding \(\Phi_t:Y\hookrightarrow L^2(Y,\mathcal{H}^N)\) [\textit{L. Ambrosio} et al., J. Funct. Anal. 280, No. 10, Article ID 108968, 72 p. (2021; Zbl 1478.53021)]. By improving the regularity of \(\Phi_t\) the authors: (1) Identify (equivalent) conditions under which \(\Phi_t\) is a bi-Lipschitz embedding; (2) Give a nonlinear notion of Sobolev functions, called \emph{0-Sobolev maps}, and show that under suitable assumptions this notion coincides with the usual one of Sobolev functions between a metric measure space and a metric space; (3) Give a nonlinear analogue of Cheeger's differentiability theorem; (4) Show that, under the same assumptions as the second point, the associated nonlinear energy coincides with the Korevaar-Schoen energy; (5) Obtain a generalization of \textit{T. Takahashi}'s theorem [J. Math. Soc. Japan 18, 380--385 (1966; Zbl 0145.18601)] to the \(\mathrm{RCD}\)-setting.