On linear continuous operators between distinguished spaces \(C_p(X)\) (Q2240593)

For a Tychonoff space \( X \), the authors consider the spaces \( C_p(X)\), \(C_k(X) \) of all real-valued continuous functions on \( X \) endowed with the topology of pointwise convergence \(\tau_p \) and the compact-open topology \( \tau_k \), respectively. A locally convex space (lcs) \( E \) is called distinguished if its strong dual \( E'_{\beta} = (E' , \beta(E' , E)) \) is a barrelled space. A topological space \( X \) is said to be a \(\Delta\)-space if for every decreasing sequence \( \{D_n : n\in\omega\} \) of subsets of \( X \) with empty intersection, there is a decreasing sequence \( \{V_n : n\in\omega\} \) consisting of open subsets of \( X \), also with empty intersection, and such that \( D_n\subset V_n \) for every \( n\in\omega \). The first main theorem in this paper is the characterization of a linear continuous surjection \( T : C_p (X ) \to C_p (Y ) \) to be an open mapping, whenever \( X \) is a \( \Delta \)-space. A part of the same theorem asserts a sufficient condition for the same. Before proving this, the authors prove two characterizations of the fact that ``\( \tau_k=\tau_p \) and \( C_p (X ) \) is distinguished'' in terms of the strong topology of \( C_k (X )'_{\beta} \), \( C_k (X )' \) being the topological dual of \( C_k (X ) \). The authors also prove that \( C_p (X ) \) contains a \(\varphi\)-dual subspace complemented in \( C_p (X ) \) if and only if either \( C_p ([1,\omega]) \) or \( C_p (\mathbb N) \) is a continuous linear image of \( C_p (X ) \). \par In the next section the authors find a complete characterization of those spaces \( Y \) which admit a continuous linear surjection \( T : C_p (X ) \to C_p (Y ) \) for some simplest \( \Delta \)-spaces \( X \). In fact, for a fixed infinite countable ordinal \( \alpha \), a Tychonoff space \( Y \) must be homeomorphic to \( [1,\beta] \), where \( \beta \) has some nice properties, for admitting a linear continuous surjection \( T : C_p ([1,\alpha]) \to C_p (Y ) \). Here \( [1,\alpha] \) denote the ordered compact space consisting of all ordinals \(\gamma\leq\alpha \). The authors prove that the space \( C_p ([1,\alpha]) \) is hereditarily distinguished for every countable ordinal \( \alpha \). \par In the final section the authors prove two theorems showing that under some conditions on \( X,Y \), there does not exist a continuous linear surjection \( T : C_p (X )\to C_k (Y )_w \), where \( C_k (Y )_w \) denotes the Banach space \( C(Y) \) endowed with its weak topology \( w \). In the article they pose several open questions.