A Bounded Linear Extension Operator for $L^{2,p}(\R^2)$

For a finite $E \subset \R^2$, $f:E \rightarrow \R$, and $p>2$, we produce a continuous $F:\R^2 \rightarrow \R$ depending linearly on $f$, taking the same values as $f$ on $E$, and with $L^{2,p}(\R^2)$ semi-norm minimal up to a factor $C=C(p)$. This solves the Whitney extension problem for the Sobolev space $L^{2,p}(\R^2)$. A standard method for solving extension problems is to find a collection of local extensions, each defined on a small square, which if chosen to be mutually consistent can be patched together to form a global extension defined on the entire plane. For Sobolev spaces the standard form of consistency is not applicable due to the (generically) non-local structure of the trace norm. In this paper, we define a new notion of consistency among local Sobolev extensions and apply it toward constructing a bounded linear extension operator. Our methods generalize to produce similar results for the $n$-dimensional case, and may be applicable toward understanding higher smoothness Sobolev extension problems.

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