On the doubling of variables technique in first order Hamilton-Jacobi equations

Abstract: In this paper, we revisit the technique of doubling variables in first order Hamilton-Jacobi equations, especially when the equations arise in optimal control. We show that by tuning the penalization between the two points, we can change drastically the proof, somehow shifting the regularity hypotheses into geometrical properties of the penalization. We present this idea in a finite dimensional setting and then exploit it on equations posed on Wasserstein spaces.