p-Poincaré inequality versus ∞-Poincaré inequality: some counterexamples

We point out some of the differences between the consequences of p-Poincaré inequality and that of ∞-Poincaré inequality in the setting of doubling metric measure spaces. Based on the geometric characterization of ∞-Poincaré inequality given in Durand-Cartagena et al. (Mich Math J 60, 2011), we obtain a geometric property implied by the support of a p-Poincaré inequality, and demonstrate by examples that an analogous geometric characterization for finite p is not possible. The examples we give are metric measure spaces which are doubling and support an ∞-Poincaré inequality, but support no finite p-Poincaré inequality. In particular, these examples show that one cannot expect a self-improving property for ∞-Poincaré inequality in the spirit of Keith–Zhong (Ann Math 167(2):575–599, 2008). We also show that the persistence of Poincaré inequality under measured Gromov–Hausdorff limits fails for ∞-Poincaré inequality.