The Daugavet equation in Banach spaces with alternatively convex-smooth duals (Q1756017)

Let $X$ be a Banach space and $T:X \rightarrow X$ a bounded linear operator. $T$ is said to satisfy the Daugavet equation if $\|\mathrm{id}+T\|=1+\|T\|$.\par The space $X$ is called alternatively convex or smooth (acs) if the following holds: whenever $x,y\in X$ are of norm one such that $\|x+y\|=2$ and $x^*\in X^*$ is a norm-one functional with $x^*(x)=1$, then $x^*(y)=1$. For instance, every strictly convex and every smooth space is acs.\par The following is the main result of the present paper: Theorem. Suppose that the dual space $X^*$ is acs and that the space $K(X)$ of compact operators is an $M$-ideal in the space $B(X)$ of all operators (i.e., $B(X)^*=K(X)^*\oplus_1 K(X)^{\perp}$). Suppose further that $T\in L(X)$ is weakly compact and its distance from $K(X)$ is strictly less than $\|T\|$. Then $T$ satisfies the Daugavet equation if and only if there is a nontrivial, closed affine subspace which is invariant under $T/\|T\|$.