Isometries between \(JB^*\)-triples (Q2571070)

\textit{W.~Kaup} [Math. Z. 183, 503--529 (1983; Zbl 0519.32024)] showed that a surjective linear map \(T\) between two \(JB^*\)-triples is an isometry if and only if it is a Jordan triple isomorphism, i.e., it preserves the Jordan triple product \[ T\{a,b,c\}=\{T(a),T(b),T(c)\} \] for every \(a,b,c\). Although Jordan triple monomorphisms are necessarily isometries, nonsurjective linear isometries between \(JB^*\)-triples need not preserve the Jordan triple product. The object of this paper is to discuss how far a linear isometry between two \(JB^*\)-triples is from being an Jordan triple monomorphism. Let \(Z\) and \(W\) be \(JB^*\)-triples and let \(T\) be a linear isometry from \(Z\) into \(W\). The authors show that \(T\) is locally a triple homomorphism via a tripotent: for any \(z\in Z\), there is a tripotent \(u\in W^{**}\) such that \[ \{u,T\{a,b,c\},u\}=\{u,\{T(a),T(b),T(c)\},u\} \] for all \(a,b,c\) in the smallest subtriple \(Z_z\) of \(Z\) containing \(z\), and the map \(\{u,T(\cdot),u\}:Z_z\rightarrow W^{**}\) is an isometry. If \(W\) is actually a \(JB^*\)-algebra, then there is a largest projection \(p\) in \(W^{**}\) such that for all \(a,b,c\in Z\) one has \[ \text{(i)}\quad T\{a,b,c\}\circ p=\{T(a),T(b),T(c)\}\circ p; \qquad \text{(ii)} \quad \{p,T(a)^*\circ T(b),p\}=(T(a)\circ T(b)^*)\circ p. \]