Fractional elliptic equations, Caccioppoli estimates and regularity

Abstract

Let $L=-\operatorname{div}_x(A(x)\nabla_x)$ be a uniformly elliptic operator in divergence form in a bounded domain $Ω$. We consider the fractional nonlocal equations $$\begin{cases} L^su=f,&\hbox{in}~Ω,\\ u=0,&\hbox{on}~\partialΩ, \end{cases}\quad \hbox{and}\quad \begin{cases} L^su=f,&\hbox{in}~Ω,\\ \partial_Au=0,&\hbox{on}~\partialΩ. \end{cases}$$ Here $L^s$, $0<s<1$, is the fractional power of $L$ and $\partial_Au$ is the conormal derivative of $u$ with respect to the coefficients $A(x)$. We reproduce Caccioppoli type estimates that allow us to develop the regularity theory. Indeed, we prove interior and boundary Schauder regularity estimates depending on the smoothness of the coefficients $A(x)$, the right hand side $f$ and the boundary of the domain. Moreover, we establish estimates for fundamental solutions in the spirit of the classical result by Littman--Stampacchia--Weinberger and we obtain nonlocal integro-differential formulas for $L^su(x)$. Essential tools in the analysis are the semigroup language approach and the extension problem.