A boundedness criterion for general maximal operators

Abstract

We consider maximal operators MB with respect to a basis B. In the case when MB satisfies a reversed weak type inequality, we obtain a boundedness criterion for MB on an arbitrary quasiBanach function space X. Being applied to specific B and X this criterion yields new and short proofs of a number of well-known results. Our principal application is related to an open problem on the boundedness of the two-dimensional one-sided maximal function M+ on Lpw.