A class of nonlocal hypoelliptic operators and their extensions

Abstract

In this paper we study nonlocal equations driven by the fractional powers of hypoelliptic operators in the form $$\mathscr K u = \mathscr A u - \partial_t u \overset{def}{=} \operatorname{tr}(Q \nabla^2 u) + <BX,\nabla u> - \partial_t u,$$ introduced by H\"ormander in his 1967 hypoellipticity paper. We show that the nonlocal operators $(-\mathscr K)^s$ and $(-\mathscr A)^s$ can be realized as the Dirichlet-to-Neumann map of doubly-degenerate extension problems. We solve such problems in $L^\infty$, and in $L^p$ for $1\leq p<\infty$ when $\operatorname{tr}(B)\geq 0$. In forthcoming works we use such calculus to establish some new Sobolev and isoperimetric inequalities.