Boundary Harnack estimates in slit domains and applications to thin free boundary problems (Q346655)

In this work, a higher order boundary Harnack estimate for harmonic functions in slit domains is stated and proved. This result complements the Schauder type estimates in [the author, Indiana Univ. Math. J. 64, No. 5, 1575--1608 (2015; Zbl 1331.35397)] since it provides one derivative better than the Schauder estimates. It also can be considered as a version in the case of slit domains of the result which was obtained in the recent work of the authors [Discrete Contin. Dyn. Syst. 35, No. 12, 6155--6163 (2015; Zbl 1336.35096)]. The proof of the boundary Harnack estimate has very similar aspects with the proof of Schauder estimates, but the gain of one extra derivative comes from the chose of harmanic function instead of using an approximation to a harmonic function. As an application of the boundary Harnack estimate in slit domains, they obtain \(C^\infty\) regularity of the free boundary near regular points in the Signorini problem known as the thin obstacle problem.