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Here is the text of the problem I'm attempting:

Suppose that $(u_j)$ is a sequence of non-negative harmonic functions on $B_1(0)$ such that the sequence of numbers $u_j(0)$ converges. Show that there is a non-negative harmonic function u on $B_1(0)$ and a subsequence $(j')$ such that $u_{j'}\to u$ in $C^k(B_\rho(0))$ for every $k \in \mathbb{N}$ and every $\rho\in(0;1)$. Must the whole sequence $(u_j)$ converge to $u$? What if we drop the non-negativity assumtpion on $u_j$

Now my attempt is as follows:

Let $\rho\in(0;1)$, then by Harnack's inequality in $B_\rho(0)$ we have that:$$sup_{B_\rho(0)}u_j\leq Cu_j(0)$$ for every $x\in B_\rho(0)$. Furthermore we have derivative estimates:$$sup_{ B_\rho(0)}|D^\alpha u_j| \leq C\int_ {B_\rho(0)}u_j =Cu_j(0) $$ where in the last equality we used the mean value property for harmonic functions and this hold for every multiindex $\alpha$. Thus we get by Arzela-Ascoli that there exists $u\in C^k( B_\rho(0))$ and a subsequence $(j')$ such that $u_j\to u$ in $C^k( B_\rho(0))$ for every $k\in\mathbb{N}$ and every $\rho\in(0;1)$. Now $u$ is non-negative since all the $u_j$ are and harmonic since it satisfies the mean value property by passing to the limit in the mean value equality for $u_j$.

Now for the last two questions, I'd say that the whole sequence need not converge since we could consider the sequence to be such that $u_{2j}=v$ and $u_{2j+1}=w$, where both $v$ and $w$ are non-negative harmonic functions with $v(0)=w(0)$ but $v(x)\neq w(x)$ for $x\neq 0$.

The last question however I'm not sure. I'd guess that dropping non-negativity means that this won't work anymore as we won't have any way to control the supremum norm, but I really don't know nor am I sure about what it might mean.

Is this proof correct? Have I missed something or got something blatantly wrong?

Abrb
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  • The sequence $u_k(x) = kx_1$ works? – r9m Apr 19 '20 at 11:59
  • For which part? Because for this sequence i don’t see how you could uniformly bound the supremum – Abrb Apr 19 '20 at 15:01
  • Counterexample to dropping sign condition on the sequence. The other parts looks fine. Just one small thing, the gradient estimate the supremum of gradient should be on a smaller ball than $B_\rho$ I think. – r9m Apr 19 '20 at 15:05
  • Oh, yea! You are absolutely right, that’s a great counterexample cheers. Also you are 100% right about the estimate being on a smaller ball – Abrb Apr 19 '20 at 15:08

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