Approximation of multipliers by regular operators (Q1175462)

In this interesting work the authors prove that the vector space \({\mathcal L}^ r(L^ p)\) of all regular operators (i.e., the subspace of operators generated by all positive operators acting on an arbitrary infinite-dimensional \(L^ p\)-space, \(1<p<\infty\)) is not norm dense in the space \({\mathcal L}(L^ p)\) of all continuous operators. In particular, they show that the Hilbert transform on \(L^ p(G)\), where \(G\) is either \(\mathbb{Z}\) or \(\mathbb{R}\), or \(\mathbb{T}\), does not belong to the closure of \({\mathcal L}^ r(L^ p)\). To establish this they prove, among other things, the existence of a positive contractive projection from the space \({\mathcal L}(L^ p)\) onto the subspace of all left translation invariant operators. If one is interested in approximation of operators on a Hilbert space by operators which are regular with respect to all orderings induced by arbitrary orthogonal bases, then there are much fewer such objects. Theorem 5.1 tells us that these operators are of the form \(K+\lambda I\). Reviewer's remark. 1) The fact that also the Fourier transform \({\mathcal F}\) on \(L^ 2(\mathbb{R})\) is orthogonal to all regular operators, i.e., \(\|{\mathcal F}+T\|\geq\|{\mathcal F}\|\) for each regular operator \(T\) was discovered by G. Ja. Lozanovsky. A sketch of his proof is presented in a paper by \textit{A. M. Vershik} [Sib. Mat. Zh. 28, No. 1 (161), Mat. Zh. 28, 52-60 (1987; Zbl 0627.47012)]. 2) The statement in Theorem 4.3, asserting that the case \(p=1\) is equivalent to the equality \({\mathcal L}^ r(L^ p)={\mathcal L}(L^ p)\), is well known. It was established by \textit{D. I. Cartwright} and \textit{H. P.Lotz} [Math. Z. 142, 97-103 (1975; Zbl 0285.46009)]. Moreover, as was shown by the reviewer [Some new properties of AM-spaces, An. Univ. Craiova, Ser. Mat. Fiz.-Chim. 6, 15-26 (1978; Zbl 0453.46020)] for an arbitrary Banach lattice \(X\), the equality \({\mathcal L}(X)={\mathcal L}^ r(X)\) holds iff either \(X\) or \(X^*\) is an \(L^ 1\)-space.