Sobolev Spaces different definitions

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In summary: Sobolev spaces, as they differ in two books. One defines it as a space of locally summable functions with weak partial derivatives, while the other defines it as a subspace of L^2(a,b) with absolutely continuous functions and strong derivatives. Adi is wondering how these definitions can be equivalent and what the role of absolute continuity is. They later mention that the exercise proves that the conditions can be reduced to absolute continuity for functions from \mathbb{R} to \mathbb{R}.
  • #1
agahlawa
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Hi,

I am studying PDEs and I am confused by the definition of Sobolev spaces as they are different in two books. I'll write the definitions and mention the points of difference which I see despite which I still can't see the difference in definitions.

1) PDEs by Lawrence Evans

Let U be an open subset of [itex]\mathbb{R}^n[/itex]. The Sobolev space [itex]W^{k,2}(U)[/itex] consists of all locally summable functions [itex]u:U \rightarrow \mathbb{R}[/itex] such that all partial derivatives of [itex] u [/itex] upto order [itex]k[/itex] exist in [itex]\textbf{weak sense}[/itex] and the weak partial derivatives belong to [itex]L^p(U)[/itex].

2) The other definition from the book: Control of linear infinite dimensional systems by Curtain & Zwart is as follows:

For [itex]-\infty <a<b<\infty[/itex] we define the following subspace of [itex]L^2(a,b)[/itex]:

[itex]W^{k,2}(a,b):=\{u \in L^2(a,b) | u, \cdots , \frac{d ^{k-1}u}{dt^{k-1}} \text{ are absolutely continuous on } (a,b) \text{ with } \frac{d^k u}{dt^k} \in L^2(a,b). \}. [/itex]

[itex]W^{k,2}(a,b) [/itex] is a Sobolev space.

The obvious things to be noted:

1) In definition 1 the functions map an open subset of [itex] \mathbb{R}^n [/itex] to [itex] \mathbb{R}[/itex] where as in definition 2 the functions map an open subset of [itex] \mathbb{R} [/itex] to [itex] \mathbb{R}[/itex],
2) The definition 1 requires the functions to be locally summable but in definition 2 since the functions are in [itex] L^2(a,b)[/itex], they are square summable on [itex] (a,b) [/itex], and most importantly
3) Definition 1 talks about the derivatives in weak sense whereas definition 2 claims no such thing, hence I assume that in definition 2 the derivatives are in the classical or strong sense.

My issue is that these definitions seem very different but they must be equivalent as they are both defining Sobolev spaces. Also I cannot make sense of absolute continuity and how it comes into play.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks.

Adi
 
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  • #2
I got the answer. It's proven as an exercise.

If the Sobolev space is defined for functions [itex]u: \mathbb{R} \rightarrow \mathbb{R} [/itex] instead of [itex] u : \mathbb{R}^n \rightarrow \mathbb{R}[/itex], then the conditions can be reduced to the absolute continuity of the functions.

Adi
 

Related to Sobolev Spaces different definitions

1. What is the definition of Sobolev Spaces?

Sobolev Spaces are a type of function space that is used to describe the smoothness of a function. They are defined in terms of derivatives of a function, and they are used to study problems in partial differential equations and functional analysis.

2. What are the different definitions of Sobolev Spaces?

There are several different ways to define Sobolev Spaces, including in terms of bounded variation, distributional derivatives, and fractional derivatives. Each definition captures a different aspect of the smoothness of a function and is useful in different contexts.

3. How are Sobolev Spaces related to other function spaces?

Sobolev Spaces are more general than other function spaces, such as Lebesgue and Hölder spaces. They contain functions that may not be continuous or have bounded derivatives, making them a more useful tool for studying problems in analysis and PDEs.

4. Can Sobolev Spaces be used to characterize the regularity of a function?

Yes, Sobolev Spaces can be used to measure the regularity or smoothness of a function. The higher the Sobolev index, the more regular a function is considered to be. For example, a function in the Sobolev space with index 1 is continuous, while a function in the Sobolev space with index 2 has continuous first derivatives.

5. What are some applications of Sobolev Spaces?

Sobolev Spaces have many important applications in mathematics, physics, and engineering. They are used to study problems in partial differential equations, such as the Navier-Stokes equations and the heat equation. They are also used in the study of variational problems, shape optimization, and image processing.

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