The Green Function for Elliptic Systems in the Upper-Half Space

Abstract

Let $L$ be a second-order, homogeneous, constant (complex) coefficient elliptic system in ${\mathbb{R}}^n$. The goal of this article is provide a qualitative and quantitative study of the nature of the Green function associated with the system $L$ in the upper-half space. Starting with a definition of the Green function which brings forth the minimal features which identify this object uniquely, we establish optimal nontangential maximal function estimates and regularity results up to the boundary for the said Green function. The main tools employed in the proof include the Agmon-Douglis-Nirenberg construction of a Poisson kernel for the system $L$, the Agmon-Douglis-Nirenberg a priori regularity estimates near the boundary, and the brand of Divergence Theorem from the book Geometric Harmonic Analysis Vol. I by the last three authors of this paper in which the boundary trace of the corresponding vector field is taken in nontangential pointwise sense.