Strict \(p\)-negative type of a metric space (Q707875)

Let \(p \geq 0\) and let \((X, d)\) be a metric space. Definitions: (a) \((X, d)\) has \(p\)-negative type if and only if, for all natural numbers \(k\geq 2\), all finite subsets \(\{x_1,\dots,x_k\}\subseteq X\), and all choices of real numbers \(\eta_1,\dots,\eta_k\) with \(\eta_1+\dots+\eta_k=0\), the inequality \(\sum_{1\leq i,j\leq k}d(x_i, x_j)^p\eta_i\eta_j\leq 0\) holds. (b) \((X, d)\) has strict \(p\)-negative type if and only if it has \(p\)-negative type and the associated inequalities are all strict except in the trivial case \((\eta_1,\dots,\eta_k)=(0,\dots,0)\). The authors continue investigations of Ian Doust and Anthony Weston on relations between these and some other notions related to the notion of \(p\)-negative type. The contents of the paper is described in detail in the authors' summary: ``\textit{I. Doust} and \textit{A. Weston} [J. Funct. Anal. 254, No.~9, 2336--2364 (2008); corrigendum ibid. 255, No.~2, 532--533 (2008; Zbl 1148.46012)] have introduced a new method called enhanced negative type for calculating a nontrivial lower bound \({\wp_{T}}\) on the supremal strict \(p\)-negative type of any given finite metric tree \((T, d)\). In the context of finite metric trees, any such lower bound \({\wp_{T} >1 }\) is deemed to be nontrivial. In this paper, we refine the technique of enhanced negative type and show how it may be applied more generally to any finite metric space \((X, d)\) that is known to have strict \(p\)-negative type for some \(p \geq 0\). This allows us to significantly improve the lower bounds on the supremal strict \(p\)-negative type of finite metric trees that were given in Doust and Weston [op.\,cit., Corollary 5.5] and, moreover, leads to one of our main results: the supremal \(p\)-negative type of a finite metric space cannot be strict. By way of application, we are then able to exhibit large classes of finite metric spaces (such as finite isometric subspaces of Hadamard manifolds) that must have strict \(p\)-negative type for some \(p > 1\). We also show that, if a metric space (finite or otherwise) has \(p\)-negative type for some \(p > 0\), then it must have strict \(q\)-negative type for all \({q \in [0, p)}\). This generalizes Theorem~2 in [\textit{J. J. Schoenberg}, Ann. Math. (2) 38, 787--793 (1937; Zbl 0017.36101)] and leads to a complete classification of the intervals on which a metric space may have strict \(p\)-negative type.''