Carleson perturbations for the regularity problem

Abstract

We prove that the solvability of the regularity problem in $L^q(\partial \Omega)$ is stable under Carleson perturbations. If the perturbation is small, then the solvability is preserved in the same $L^q$, and if the perturbation is large, the regularity problem is solvable in $L^{r}$ for some other $r\in (1,\infty)$. We extend an earlier result from Kenig and Pipher to very general unbounded domains, possibly with lower dimensional boundaries as in the theory developed by Guy David and the last two authors. To be precise, we only need the domain to have non-tangential access to its Ahlfors regular boundary, together with a notion of gradient on the boundary.