Non-tangential maximal function ($F_a^{\ast }(x)={\sup }_{y>0,|x-x^{\prime }|\le ay}|F(x^{\prime },y)|$)

This supremum function takes a supremum over a cone approaching the boundary point $x$; the positive number $a$ is its aperture. For an analytic upper-half-plane $H^1$ function, it belongs to $L^1$. To prove this without first assuming boundary absolute continuity, shift the function upwards, apply subharmonic Poisson comparison to its square root, and use the strong $L^2$ bound for the Hardy-Littlewood maximal function. Fatou lemma removes the shift.

For integrable boundary data $g$ on the unit circle, this follows from the Poisson kernel bound $C_A\delta /({\delta }^2+d^2)$ in a fixed Stolz region. The arc of radius $\delta$ and successive dyadic annuli contribute at most $C_A{2}^{-k}Mg(\xi )$, which sum to the displayed estimate. This links harmonic extension to the Hardy-Littlewood maximal function and its strong $L^p$ bounds for $p>1$.