The Variable Coefficient Thin Obstacle Problem: Higher Regularity

Abstract

In this article we continue our investigation of the thin obstacle problem with variable coefficients which was initiated in \cite{KRS14}, \cite{KRSI}. Using a partial Hodograph-Legendre transform and the implicit function theorem, we prove higher order H\"older regularity for the regular free boundary, if the associated coefficients are of the corresponding regularity. For the zero obstacle this yields an improvement of a \emph{full derivative} for the free boundary regularity compared to the regularity of the metric. In the presence of non-zero obstacles or inhomogeneities, we gain \emph{three halves of a derivative} for the free boundary regularity with respect to the regularity of the inhomogeneity. Further we show analyticity of the regular free boundary for analytic metrics. We also discuss the low regularity set-up of $W^{1,p}$ metrics with $p>n+1$ with and without ($L^p$) inhomogeneities. Key new ingredients in our analysis are the introduction of generalized H\"older spaces, which allow to interpret the transformed fully nonlinear, degenerate (sub)elliptic equation as a perturbation of the Baouendi-Grushin operator, various uses of intrinsic geometries associated with appropriate operators, the application of the implicit function theorem to deduce (higher) regularity and the splitting technique from \cite{KRSI}.