Regularization of Newtonian functions via weak boundedness of maximal operators

Density of Lipschitz functions in Newtonian spaces based on quasi-Banach function lattices is discussed. Newtonian spaces are first-order Sobolev-type spaces on abstract metric measure spaces defined via (weak) upper gradients. Our main focus lies on metric spaces with a doubling measure that support a $p$-Poincar\'e inequality. Absolute continuity of the function lattice quasi-norm is shown to be crucial for approximability by (locally) Lipschitz functions. The proof of the density result uses, among others, that a suitable maximal operator is locally weakly bounded. In particular, various sufficient conditions for such boundedness on rearrangement-invariant spaces are established and applied.