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Let $u : B_1 \to S^n$ be a weakly harmonic map (here, $B_1$ is the two-dimensional disk, $S^n$ the $n$-sphere in $\mathbb R^{n+1}$). I can't understand this assumption in [1] (p. 1101):

"Let us assume $\int_{B_1} \vert \nabla u\vert^2 \leq \varepsilon$ for some $\varepsilon$ small. Let $\frac{1}{2} \leq r \leq 1$ be such that $\int_{\partial B_r} \vert u - A_0 \vert^p \leq 8 \int_{B_1} \vert u - A_0 \vert^p$ for some constant vector $A_0$ [...]"

My question is: how can I be sure that there exist an $r$ and a vector $A_0$ such that the previous inequality holds with the given constant? This claim is not commented at all, so I suspect it's somewhat obvious. However, I can't realize why.


Chang, Sun‐Yung A., Lihe Wang, and Paul C. Yang. "Regularity of harmonic maps." Communications on pure and applied mathematics 52.9 (1999): 1099-1111.

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The statement looks slighlty incorrect (in my opinion, it leads one to think that $A_0$ must be somewhat special). There is a more general result in real analysis which says

Lemma. Let $\Omega \subset \mathbb R^n$ be open, $x \in \Omega$, $\rho < \mbox{dist}\,(x, \partial \Omega)$. Let $g \geq 0$ be integrable on $B_\rho(x)$. Then for each $\theta \in (0,1)$ it holds

\begin{equation}\tag 1\int_{\partial B_\sigma(x)} g \leq 2 \theta^{-1}\rho^{-1} \int_{B_\rho(x)\setminus B_{\rho/2}(x)} g \end{equation}

for all $\sigma \in (\rho/2, \rho)$ except for a set of measure at most $\theta \rho / 2$.

Proof. Recall the general identity (which follows by Fubini's Theorem and that is valid for each $L^1$ function $g$)

\begin{equation}\tag 2 \int_{\rho/2}^\rho \int_{\partial B_\sigma(x)} g = \int_{B_\rho(x)\setminus B_{\rho/2}(x)} g \end{equation}

Now suppose, for the sake of a contraddiction, that there is a set $\Sigma \subset (\rho/2,\rho)$, with measure $> \theta\rho/2$, on which it holds

\begin{equation}\tag 3 \int_{\partial B_\sigma(x)} g > 2 \theta^{-1}\theta^{-1} \int_{B_\rho(x)\setminus B_{\rho/2}(x)} g \end{equation}

Set $I := (\rho/2, \rho)$ and decompose $I = (I\setminus \Sigma) \cup \Sigma$. By (2),

\begin{equation}\tag 4\int_{\rho/2}^\rho \int_{\partial B_\sigma(x)} g = \int_{I\setminus \Sigma} \int_{\partial B_\sigma(x)} g + \int_{\Sigma} \int_{\partial B_\sigma(x)} g = \int_{B_\rho(x)\setminus B_{\rho/2}(x)} g \end{equation}

The first addend in the middle term is nonnegative, while the second is greater than $|\Sigma| 2\theta^{-1} \rho{-1} \int_{B_\rho(x)\setminus B_{\rho/2}(x)} g$. But if $|\Sigma| > \theta \rho /2$, then the prefactor is strictly greater than 1, hence (4) is absurd. $\Box$

By taking $\theta = 1/4$ and $\rho= 1$, it is now clear that the inequality in question holds for all $A_0$ and for all those $r \in (1/2, 1) \setminus \Sigma$, where $|\Sigma| \leq 1/8$. Hence, an $r \in (1/2, 1)$ with the required property surely exists.