Behavior of maximal functions in \(R^ n\) for large n (Q792560)

Let \(M^{(n)}f(x)\) denote the maximal function of \(f\in L^ p(R^ n)\) for \(x\in R^ n\) given by \[ (1)\quad M^{(n)}f(x)=\sup_{r>0}1/c_ nr^ n\int_{| y| \leq r}| f(x-y)| dy \] where \(c_ n\) is the volume of the unit ball in \(R^ n\). In [\textit{E. M. Stein}, The development of square functions in the work of A. Zygmund, Bull. Am. Math. Soc., New Ser. 7, 359-376 (1982)] one of the authors stated and gave a brief outline of the proof of the following Theorem A (Theorem 13, p. 374, of the above reference). If \(f\in L^ p(R^ n)\), \(1<p\leq \infty\), then \[ (2)\quad \| M^{(n)}f\|_{L^ p}\leq A_ p\| f\|_{L^ p} \] with \(A_ p\) being a constant which is independent of n. A detailed proof of Theorem A is given in the present paper. This proof does not use any of the usual covering arguments which the authors note lead to a weak-type (1,1) bound which grows exponentially in n and thus by interpolation yields (2) with the constant \(A_ p\) replaced by a bound which increases exponentially in n. The authors thus propose the following questions: (i) does \(M^{(n)}f\) have a weak-type (1,1) bound independent of n? and (ii) what can be said when the usual balls are replaced by dilates of more general sets? In this paper the authors give partial answers to these questions. For example the result \[ (3)\quad \| M^{(n)}f\|_{L^ p}\leq C(p/(p-1))n^{\frac{1}{2}}\| f\|_{L^ p},\quad 1<p\leq \infty, \] is proved for the maximal function of (1) corresponding to question (i). (3) is not of interest when compared with (2) for fixed p but gives the right behavior in p as \(p\to 1\) with a sacrifice resulting from a growth in n. If B is any bounded, open, convex, and symmetric set in \(R^ n\), then \(B^ r=\{x: r^{-1}x\in B\}\), \(r>0\), is the dilate of B by the factor r. Put \[ M_ B(f)(x)=\sup_{r>0}(m(B^ r))^{-1}\int_{B^ r}| f(x-y)| dy. \] With respect to question (ii) the authors prove \[ \| M_ B(f)\|_{L^ p}\leq cn(p/(p-1))\| f\|_{L^ p},\quad 1<p\leq \infty, \] where c is independent of n and B. Results are also obtained concerning estimates for the measure of the sets \(\{\) x: \(M_ B(f)(x)>\lambda \}\) and \(\{\) x: \(M^{(n)}f8x)>\lambda \}\), \(\lambda>0\).