On the existence of tangential limits of monotone BLD functions (Q674604)

The existence of nontangential or tangential limits of monotone functions \(u : \mathbb{R}^n_+ \to \mathbb{R}\), \(\mathbb{R}^n_+ = \{ x \in \mathbb{R}^n : x_n > 0 \}\), with \[ (1) \int_D |\nabla u(x)|^p w(x) x_n^{p-n} < \infty \] for some weight function \( w(x)>0\) and for every bounded open \(D \subset \mathbb{R}^n_+\) has been studied extensively. Important examples of monotone functions are harmonic functions and, more generally, so-called \(p\)-harmonic functions. Conditions of this type occur in the books by \textit{J. Lelong-Ferrand} [(1955; Zbl 0064.32204)], \textit{G. D. Suvorov} [(1985; Zbl 0669.30012)], \textit{L. Carleson} [(1967; Zbl 0189.10903)], and \textit{E. M. Stein} [(1972; Zbl 0242.32005)]. We say that \(u\) has a \(T_{\gamma}\) limit at \(x_0 \in \partial \mathbb{R}^n_+\) if \(\lim_{x \to x_0, x \in T_{\gamma}(x_0)} u(x)\) exists with \[ T_{\gamma}(x_0)= \{ x \in \mathbb{R}^n_+ : x_n > |x-x_0|^{\gamma} \}. \] Roughly speaking this means that \(u\) has a limit through a set with order \(\gamma\) tangency. We say that \(u\) has a \(T_{\infty}\)-limit at \(x_0\) if \(u\) has a \(T_{\gamma}\)-limit for all \(\gamma >1\) at \( x_0 .\) The authors show that monotone functions satisfying (1) with \(w(x) \equiv 1\) have a \(T_{\infty}\) -limit on \(\partial \mathbb{R}^n_+\) except possibly at the points of an exceptional set of capacity zero. Next the authors choose a positive nonincreasing function \(g: (0,\infty) \to \mathbb{R}\) satisfying an integral condition. Then they show that if \(p>n-1\) and the monotone function \(u\) satisfies (1) with (a) \(w(x) =g(|x|)\) then \(u\) has a finite \(T_{\infty}\)-limit at \(0,\) (b) \(w(x) = g(x_n)\) then \(u\) has a finite \(T_{\infty}\) limit at every point on \(\partial \mathbb{R}^n_+ .\) An interesting example related to part (a) is given. \{Reviewer's remark: There are many papers by the second author on this topic. A recent paper of \textit{P. Koskela, J. J. Manfredi} and \textit{E. Villamor}, [Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 348, No. 2, 755-766 (1996; Zbl 0849.31015)] also studies similar questions.\}.