Extreme harmonic functions on a ball (Q1429129)

Let \(H\) denote the (convex) set of all positive harmonic functions on the unit ball \(B\) in \(\mathbb R^n\) that are valued 1 at the origin. The Riesz-Herglotz theorem gives a representation for members of \(H\) as Poisson integrals of probability measures on \(\partial B\). This result can be obtained as an application of the Krein-Milman theorem once one has established that the extreme points of \(H\) are precisely the Poisson kernels. \textit{R. R. Phelps} [Lectures on Choquet's theorem (Van Nostrand, Princeton) (1966; Zbl 0135.36203)] therefore asked for a simple verification of this fact without recourse to the Riesz-Herglotz theorem. In response the authors provide a particularly elementary proof in this attractive expository article. An alternative approach had earlier been given by \textit{D. H. Armitage} [Potential Theory -- ICPT 94 (de Gruyter, Berlin), 229--232 (1996; Zbl 0856.31003)].