A Note on a Maximal Function Over Arbitrary Sets of Directions (Q4487641)

Let \(\Sigma\) be a set of unit vectors in \(\mathbb R^2\) and let us define the maximal operator on \(\mathbb R^2\) \[ {\mathcal M}_{\Sigma}f(x)=\sup_{v\in\Sigma}\int_{| t| \leq 1} | f(x-tv)| \, dt. \] In general, this operator is not bounded in \(L^2(\mathbb R^2)\), but if \(\Sigma\) has cardinality \(N\), then it is bounded and the best bound known up to now is \(C \sqrt{1+\log N}\), with \(C\) independ of \(N\) [\textit{N. Katz}, Bull. Lond. Math. Soc. 31, 700--710 (1999; Zbl 1033.42014, preceding review)]. \textit{A. M. Vargas} [ Red. Circ. Mat. Palermo, II. Ser. 44, 273--282 (1995; Zbl 0832.42011)]{} had also proved it when \(\Sigma\) was a finite truncation of a Cantor set. In this paper, the authors observes that the above Varga's proof is useful to show that if \(\Sigma=S\) the unit sphere, then the operator \({\mathcal M}_{S}\) is bounded in \(L^2\) when restricted to the set of band limited functions; that is if \( \text{supp \;} \widehat f\subset \{ | \xi| \leq 2^q\}\), then \(\| {\mathcal M}_{S}f\|_2\leq C\sqrt q \| f\|_2\). They also prove that, for every \(\varepsilon>0\), there exists a positive constant \(C_{\varepsilon}\) such that, for every \(f\in L^2\), \(\| {\mathcal M}_{S}f\|_2\leq C_{\varepsilon} \| f\|_{W\log}\), where \[ \| f\|_{W\log}= \int | \widehat f(\xi)| (1+\log^+(| \xi| )(\log^+\log^+ | \xi| )^{1+\varepsilon})d\xi. \]