Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2015 / iii / Paper 9 / 4 / a / Solution

We use a blow-up compactness proof of an interior Schauder estimate, with Taylor normalization in elliptic blow-up arguments. Fix $n,\mu ,\delta$ and suppose no suitable constant exists. There would be solutions $u_j$ with forcing $f_j$ for whichChoose distinct $x_j,y_j\in B_{1/2}$ such that, for $r_j=|y_j-x_j|$,Then $S_j/A_j<2/\delta$, $N_j/A_j<2/j$, andIn particular $r_j\to 0$. Subtract the quadratic Taylor polynomial of $u_j$ at $x_j$ and rescale:Its domain $\{z:x_j+r_{j}z\in B_1\}$ exhausts ${\mathbb{R}}^n$. The normalization givesTaylor theorem, or integration along line segments from zero, consequently bounds $D^2{v}_j,\nabla v_j,v_j$ on every fixed ball by constants times $|z{|}^{\mu },|z{|}^{1+\mu },|z{|}^{2+\mu }$, respectively. The Hessian matrices are equicontinuous. The Arzela-Ascoli theorem and a diagonal subsequence therefore give $v_j\to v$ in $C^2$ on compact subsets of ${\mathbb{R}}^n$.

The rescaled equation ison each compact set. Thus $v$ is harmonic and is smooth. Every entry of its Hessian matrix is harmonic and has a global Hölder seminorm at most $2/\delta$. The allowed Liouville lemma for globally Hölder harmonic functions makes each entry constant. Since $D^{2}v(0)=0$, all these constants are zero.

On the other hand, $e_j=(y_j-x_j)/r_j$ is a unit vector and $|D^2{v}_j(e_j)|=1$ by construction. A further subsequence has $e_j\to e$; the local $C^2$ convergence implies $|D^{2}v(e)|=1$, a contradiction. Hence the desired constant exists, andThe global Hölder seminorm on the limiting Hessian matrix, rather than a bound on its magnitude throughout space, is what makes this Liouville argument work.