On a Hardy-Morrey inequality

Abstract

Morrey's classical inequality implies the H\"older continuity of a function whose gradient is sufficiently integrable. Another consequence is the Hardy-type inequality $$ \lambda\biggl\|\frac{u}{d_\Omega^{1-n/p}}\biggr\|_{\infty}^p\le \int_\Omega |Du|^p \,dx $$ for any open set $\Omega\subsetneq \mathbb{R}^n$. This inequality is valid for functions supported in $\Omega$ and with $\lambda$ a positive constant independent of $u$. The crucial hypothesis is that the exponent $p$ exceeds the dimension $n$. This paper aims to develop a basic theory for this inequality and the associated variational problem. In particular, we study the relationship between the geometry of $\Omega$, sharp constants, and the existence of a nontrivial $u$ which saturates the inequality.