We study a generalized class of supersolutions, so-called p-supercaloric functions, to the parabolic p-Laplace equation. This class of functions is defined as lower semicontinuous functions that are finite in a dense set and satisfy the parabolic comparison principle. Their properties are relatively well understood for $$p\ge 2$$
p
≥
2
, but little is known in the fast diffusion case $$1<p<2$$
1
<
p
<
2
. Every bounded p-supercaloric function belongs to the natural Sobolev space and is a weak supersolution to the parabolic p-Laplace equation for the entire range $$1<p<\infty $$
1
<
p
<
∞
. Our main result shows that unbounded p-supercaloric functions are divided into two mutually exclusive classes with sharp local integrability estimates for the function and its weak gradient in the supercritical case $$\frac{2n}{n+1}<p<2$$
2
n
n
+
1
<
p
<
2
. The Barenblatt solution and the infinite point source solution show that both alternatives occur. Barenblatt solutions do not exist in the subcritical case $$1<p\le \frac{2n}{n+1}$$
1
<
p
≤
2
n
n
+
1
and the theory is not yet well understood.
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