Properties (u) and (V\(^*\)) of Pelczynski in symmetric spaces of \(\tau \)-measurable operators (Q409294)

Roughly speaking, a Banach space \(X\) has Peł\-czyńs\-ki's property (u) if it either is weakly sequentially complete or contains many \(c_0\)-copies; and \(X\) has Peł\-czyńs\-ki's property (V\(^*\)) if it is weakly sequentially complete and its dual contains many \(c_0\)-copies. Banach lattices and Banach spaces with property (u) have the fact in common that they are weakly sequentially complete iff they don't contain \(c_0\)-copies. (The paper under review is self-contained but the reader may find some more background information in [\textit{J. Lindenstrauss} and \textit{L. Tzafriri}, Classical Banach spaces I. Sequence spaces. Berlin etc.: Springer (1977; Zbl 0362.46013)] and in [\textit{P. Harmand}, \textit{D. Werner} and \textit{W. Werner}, \(M\)-ideals in Banach spaces and Banach algebras. Lect. Notes Math. 1547. Berlin: Springer (1993; Zbl 0789.46011)]). The authors work within the class of strongly symmetrically normed Banach spaces associated to von Neumann algebras with a semifinite faithful normal trace. These spaces are considered as non-commutative analogues of rearrangement invariant function spaces. (The authors point out that their terminology differs from the one in previous papers of theirs.) In the following we cite the two main results. Theorem 3.7 states that property (u), order continuity of the norm and the absence of \(l_{\infty}\)-copies are three equivalent conditions for a strongly symmetrical space. Theorem 5.8 states that property (V\(^*\)), weak sequential completeness and the absence of \(c_0\)-copies are three equivalent conditions for closed subspaces of a strongly symmetrical space with order continuous norm. As a by-product it is shown that, like for Banach lattices, that a closed subspace of a strongly symmetric space with order continuous norm is reflexive iff it contains no copy of \(l_1\) and \(c_0\); and it is shown that a strongly symmetric space is reflexive if its (Banach) bidual is separable. The main tool is a version of the Yosida-Hewitt decomposition (and a result on sequential continuity of the associated Yosida-Hewitt projection) which is proved by the same authors in a parallel paper [\textit{P. G. Dodds} and \textit{B. de Pagter}, ``The non-commutative Yosida-Hewitt decomposition revisited'', Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 364, 6425--6457 (2012; Zbl 1303.46054)]. It is natural and pointed out by the authors that mere lattice techniques are not enough for their purpose; yet, at least in a vague general sense both lattice techniques and Yosida-Hewitt's decomposition have in common to offer a kind of orthogonalization which allows to construct \(c_0\)-copies.