Narrow and \(\ell_2\)-strictly singular operators from \(L_p\) (Q476492)

Let \(X\) be a real Banach space, \(L_p\) denotes the real space \(L_p[0,1]\). A bounded linear operator \(T: L_p \to X\) is said to be narrow (some authors use the name ``PP-narrow'', i.e., narrow in the sense of \textit{A. M. Plichko} and \textit{M. M. Popov} [Symmetric function spaces on atomless probability spaces. Diss. Math. 306, 85 p. (1990; Zbl 0715.46011)]) if, for every \(\varepsilon > 0\) and every measurable subset \(A \subset [0,1]\), there is \(x \in L_p\) with \(x^2 = \mathbf{1}_A\) and \(\int_A x d\lambda = 0\) such that \(\|Tx\| < \varepsilon\). For a detailed exposition of the theory of narrow operators, we refer to [\textit{M. Popov} and \textit{B. Randrianantoanina}, Narrow operators on function spaces and vector lattices. Berlin: de Gruyter (2013; Zbl 1258.47002)]. In the paper under review, the authors prove that, for \(p,r \in (2, \infty)\), every bounded linear operator \(T: L_p \to \ell_r\) is narrow. Even more, for \(2 \leq p < \infty\) and every \(X\) with an unconditional basis, every \(\ell_2\)-strictly singular operator \(T: L_p \to X\) is narrow. After that, they introduce the concept of gentle-narrow operator and prove that, for \(1 < p \leq 2\), every gentle-narrow operator \(T: L_p \to L_p\) is narrow. The latter result is a step toward the following open problem. Let \(1 < p \leq 2\), and \(T: L_p \to L_p\) be a not narrow operator. Is it true that there is a measurable subset \(A \subset [0,1]\) with \(\lambda(A) > 0\) such that the restriction of \(T\) to \(L_p(A)\) is an isomorphic embedding?