Hypoelliptic heat kernel inequalities on the Heisenberg group

We study the existence of “L^p-type” gradient estimates for the heat kernel of the natural hypoelliptic “Laplacian” on the real three-dimensional Heisenberg Lie group. Using Malliavin calculus methods, we verify that these estimates hold in the case p>1. The gradient estimate for p=2 implies a corresponding Poincaré inequality for the heat kernel. The gradient estimate for p=1 is still open; if proved, this estimate would imply a logarithmic Sobolev inequality for the heat kernel.