On Cheeger and Sobolev differentials in metric measure spaces

Abstract

Recently, Gigli developed a Sobolev calculus on non-smooth spaces using module theory. In this paper it is shown that his theory fits nicely into the theory of differentiability spaces initiated by Cheeger, Keith and others. A relaxation procedure for $L^p$-valued subadditive functionals is presented and a relationship between the module generated by a functional and the one generated by its relaxation is given. In the framework of differentiability spaces, which includes so called PI- and RCD($K,N$)-spaces, the Lipschitz module is pointwise finite dimensional. A general renorming theorem together with the characterization above shows that the Sobolev spaces of differentiability spaces are reflexive.