Dyadic harmonic analysis and weighted inequalities: the sparse revolution

Abstract: We will introduce the basics of dyadic harmonic analysis and how it can be used to obtain weighted estimates for classical Calder\'on-Zygmund singular integral operators and their commutators. Harmonic analysts have used dyadic models for many years as a first step towards the understanding of more complex continuous operators. In 2000 Stefanie Petermichl discovered a representation formula for the venerable Hilbert transform as an average (over grids) of dyadic shift operators, allowing her to reduce arguments to finding estimates for these simpler dyadic models. For the next decade the technique used to get sharp weighted inequalities was the Bellman function method introduced by Nazarov, Treil, and Volberg, paired with sharp extrapolation by Dragi\v{c}evi\'c et al. Other methods where introduced by Hyt\"onen, Lerner, Cruz-Uribe, Martell, P\'erez, Lacey, Reguera, Sawyer, Uriarte-Tuero, involving stopping time and median oscillation arguments, precursors of the very successful domination by positive sparse operators methodology. The culmination of this work was Tuomas Hyt\"onen's 2012 proof of the $A_2$ conjecture based on a representation formula for any Calder\'on-Zygmund operator as an average of appropriate dyadic operators. Since then domination by sparse dyadic operators has taken central stage and has found applications well beyond Hyt\"onen's $A_p$ theorem. We will survey this remarkable progression and more in these lecture notes.