Affine approximation of Lipschitz functions and nonlinear quotients (Q1970013)

For two Banach spaces \(X\) and \(Y\), \(\text{Lip}(X,Y)\) is the set of Lipschitz functions from a domain in \(X\) to \(Y\) and \(\text{Lip}(X,Y)\) has the approximation by affine property if for every Lipschitz function \(f\) from the unit ball \(B\) of \(X\) into \(Y\) and every \(\varepsilon>0\) there is a ball \(B_1\subset B\) of radius \(r\) and an affine function \(L\:X\to Y\) so that \(\|f(x)-Lx\|\leq\varepsilon r\), \(x\in B_1\). Now \(\text{Lip}(X,Y)\) has the uniform approximation by affine property if the radius \(r=r(\varepsilon,f)\) of \(B_1\) above can be chosen to satisfy \(r(\varepsilon,f)\geq c(\varepsilon)>0\) simultaneously for all functions \(f\) of Lipschitz constant \(\leq 1\). In section 2 of this paper several theorems are proved when such approximations are possible. Further, a complete characterization of the spaces \(X\), \(Y\) for which any Lipschitz function from \(X\) to \(Y\) can be so approximated is obtained in the following theorem: Let \(X\) and \(Y\) be nonzero Banach spaces. Then \(\text{Lip}(X,Y)\) has the uniform approximation by affine property if and only if one of the spaces is super-reflexive and the other is finite dimensional. A uniformly continuous mapping \(F\) from a metric space \(X\) onto a metric space \(Y\) is a uniform quotient mapping if for each \(\varepsilon>0\) there is a \(\delta=\delta(\varepsilon)>0\) so that for every \(x\in X\), \(F(B_\varepsilon(x))\supset B_\delta(Fx)\). A space \(Y\) is said to be a uniform quotient of a space \(X\) provided there is a uniform quotient mapping from \(X\) onto \(Y\). In section 3 the main theorem is the following: If \(X\) is super-reflexive and \(Y\) is a uniform quotient of~\(X\) then \(Y^*\) is finitely crudely representable in \(X^*\). Consequently, \(Y\) is isomorphic to a linear quotient of some ultra power of \(X\). As a corollary the main theorem implies: If \(Y\) is a uniform quotient of \(L_p\), \(1<p<\infty\), then \(Y\) is isomorphic to a linear quotient of \(L_p\).