A basic construction in duals of separable Banach spaces (Q1193042)

The author gives a construction of sets which are \(w^*\) homeomorphic to the Cantor set in the dual of a separable Banach space in the following two cases. 1) The dual is nonseparable. Simplifying the published proofs of \textit{C. Stegall's} theorem [Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 206, 213-223 (1975; Zbl 0318.46056)], some equivalent characterizations of separable Banach spaces with nonseparable dual are given by existence of ``Cantor sets'' with certain properties (Theorem 6). 2) \(\ell_ 1\) embeds in the Banach space. The Pełczynski-Hagler theorem states that \(\ell_ 1\) embeds in a separable Banach space \(X\) iff there is a continuous linear surjection from \(X\) to the space \(C(\Delta^ 0)\), the space of all continuous functions defined on the Cantor set. Theorem 10 gives equivalent conditions: (a) \(\ell_ 1(\Gamma)\) embeds in \(X^*\) for some uncountable set \(\Gamma\). (b) \(C(\Delta^ 0)^*\) embeds in \(X^*\). (c) The existence of ``Cantor sets'' in \(X^*\) with certain properties. Through it the delicate nature of the differences between the cases 1) and 2) is highlighted.