A geometric approach to Poincaré inequality and Minkowski content of separating sets (Q7016708)

The \(p\)-Poincaré inequality reads as:\N\[\N\frac{1}{\mu(B)}\int_B \left|f-\frac{1}{\mu(B)} \int f d\mu\right| d\mu \leq C r \left(\frac{1}{\mu(B)}\int_B \mathrm{Lip}[f]^p d\mu \right)^{1/p}.\N\]\N\N\textit{J. Heinonen} asked in his well-known survey [Bull. Am. Math. Soc., New Ser. 44, No. 2, 163--232 (2007; Zbl 1124.28003)]: ``How does one recognize doubling \(p\)-Poincaré spaces? $\dots$ There exist techniques that can be employed here; some are similar to those which we used earlier to prove that a Poincaré inequality holds in \(\mathbb{R}\). On the other hand, most of the currently known techniques are quite ad hoc, and there is room for improvement.'' This quote illustrates well how this core assumption in analysis on metric spaces has been shrouded in some level of mystery. \N\NMotivated by this, there has been a sequence of works, see e.g. [Zbl 1037.31009; Zbl 1285.28003; Zbl 1480.26004; Zbl 1412.30149; Zbl 1334.31007; Zbl 1415.30033], that give sufficient and necessary conditions for a metric measure space to satisfy this inequality.\N\NThe present paper continues this line of work and refines the characterizations in the case of \(p=1\). There are two main theorems: Theorem 1.4, which gives a characterization of a 1-Poincaré inequality. The novel conditions here are (iii-v), which either involve widths of sets or weighted Minkowski content of the boundaries. In Theorem 1.5. the notion of width and Minkowski content are related to each other. One of the key new aspects is proving estimates for the weighted perimeter with respect to the Riesz potential, which has two singularities.\N\NThe proofs are somewhat classical, and involve modulus bounds, co-area formula, and the construction of a function by infimizing over curves. The paper is well written and clear. Together with [\textit{S. Keith}, Math. Z. 245, No. 2, 255--292 (2003; Zbl 1037.31009)], it is a good starting point for a student wishing to understand these inequalities.