Estimates of the Green function and the initial-Dirichlet problem for the heat equation in sub-Riemannian spaces (Q681680)

In this interesting paper the authors study the initial-Dirichlet problem in a space-time cylinder \(D_T=\Omega\times(0,T)\), where \(\Omega\subset\mathbb{R}^n\) is a connected bounded open set and \(T>0\). More specifically, let \(L\) be the heat operator associated with a system of vector fields of Hörmander type, that is, \[ Lf=\frac{\partial f}{\partial t}+\sum_{j=1}^{m}X_j^*X_jf=0, \] where \(X=\{X_1,\ldots,X_m\}\) is a system of \(C^{\infty}\) vector fields in \(\mathbb{R}^n\) satisfying Hörmander's finite rank condition on the Lie algebra \(\text{rank Lie} [X_1,\ldots, X_m]\equiv n\). The authors consider the initial-Dirichlet problem \[ \begin{cases} Lu=0 \text{ in } D_T,\\ u=\varphi \text{ on } \partial_pD_T=(\partial\Omega\times(0,T))\cup (\Omega\times\{0\}). \end{cases} \] The first main result of this paper is a reverse Hölder inequality for a parabolic Poisson kernel, \(K\), of \(D_T\) and \(L\). With this result in hands they prove solvability of the Dirichlet problem with respect to the \(X\)-perimeter measure \(d\sigma_X\times dt\) on \(\partial\Omega\times (0,T)\). Furthermore, the \(L\)-parabolic measure \(\omega^{(x,T)}\) and the measure \(d\sigma_X\times dt\) are shown to be mutually absolutely continuous on \(\partial\Omega\times(0,T)\). Secondly, the authors prove, under suitable assumptions on the domain \(\Omega\), a reverse Hölder inequality for another parabolic Poisson kernel, \(P\), of \(D_T\) and \(L\). Moreover, they are able to prove that the \(L\)-parabolic measure \(\omega^{(x,T)}\) and the surface measure \(d\sigma\times dt\) on \(\partial\Omega\times (0,T)\) are mutually absolutely continuous. As pointed out by the authors, by combining the results proved in this paper with results in [\textit{I. H. Munive}, Potential Anal. 37, No. 4, 333--352 (2012; Zbl 1258.35109)], one can solve the Dirichlet problem with boundary data in \(L^p\) with respect to the measure \(d\sigma_X\times dt\) in cylinders \(D_T\subset \mathbb{G}\times (0,T)\), where \(\mathbb{G}\) is a group of Heisenberg type, and \(\Omega\) is a \(C^{\infty}\) convex bounded domain. The first key ingredient of the paper is a basic uniform bound near the characteristic set of the horizontal gradient of the Green function. The second key ingredient is a Poisson-type representation formula for the Perron-Wiener-Brelot-Bauer solution of the initial-Dirichlet problem in a cylinder, and generalizes the Poisson-type formula in [\textit{E. Fabes} and \textit{S. Salsa}, Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 279, 635--650 (1983; Zbl 0542.35042)] to the non-Euclidean setting. The main theorems proved in this paper also rely on basic estimates for the Poisson kernel for certain cylinders and a basic non-degeneracy estimate of the \(X\)-perimeter measure, which follows from the isoperimetric inequality.