Resolvent estimates and smoothing for homogeneous partial differential operators on graded Lie groups

By using commutator methods, we show uniform resolvent estimates and obtain globally smooth operators for self-adjoint injective homogeneous operators H on graded groups, including Rockland operators, sublaplacians, and many others. Left or right invariance is not required. Typically the globally smooth operator has the form T=V|H|(1/2), where V only depends on the homogeneous structure of the group through Sobolev spaces, the homogeneous dimension and the minimal and maximal dilation weights. For stratified groups improvements are obtained, by using a Hardy-type inequality. Some of the results involve refined estimates in terms of real interpolation spaces and are valid in an abstract setting. Even for the commutative group (N) some new classes of partial differential operators are treated.