Global Schauder estimates for a class of degenerate Kolmogorov equations

Abstract

We consider a class of possibly degenerate second order elliptic operators $\cal A$ on $\R^n$. This class includes hypoelliptic Ornstein-Uhlenbeck type operators having an additional first order term with unbounded coefficients. We establish global Schauder estimates in H\"older spaces both for elliptic equations and for parabolic Cauchy problems involving ${\cal A}$. The H\"older function spaces are defined with respect to a non-euclidean metric related to the operator $\cal A$.