Uniqueness of Lipschitz extensions: Minimizing the sup norm of the gradient (Q687182)

This paper examines the problem of minimizing the sup norm of the gradient of a function with prescribed boundary values. A minimal extension of a function \(g\) on the boundary is a function \(u\) where \(\| Du\|\leq \| Dw\|\) in \(L^ \infty\) for all \(w\) so that \(u-w\) belongs to a specified set. The work is in some sense an extension of that by \textit{G. Aronsson} [Ark. Mat. 6, 551-561 (1967; Zbl 0158.050)] and uses some similar definitions and notations. The nonlinearity of the problem precludes standard methods, such as integration by parts, and the proofs rely on the use of two auxiliary equations. The main conclusion of the paper is that the absolutely minimizing Lipschitz extension (AMLE) of \(g\) into the space exists and is unique.