Fréchet-differentiability of the norm in operator spaces (Q1822336)

The object of the paper is to investigate Fréchet differentiability properties of the norm in operator spaces. The main result is that a certain weakened form of uniform Fréchet differentiability, called (UF), is inherited from \(X^ *\) and Y by any linear subspace of the space B(X,Y) of all bounded linear operators from X into Y that contains the finite-rank operators. This extends a partial result by \textit{C. Finet} on subspaces of the space K(X,Y) of compact linear operators [Quart. J. Math., Oxford II. Ser. 35, 403-414 (1984; Zbl 0564.46009)], who introduced the concept (UF) in the course of her and G. Godefroy's work on the existence of preduals. The main tool of the paper is a quantitative version of Smul'yan's classical result on the connection between Fréchet differentiability and \(w^ *\)-strongly exposed points, which can be used to derive further results on Fréchet differentiability and on the Radon-Nikodym property. The paper supplements earlier work of the authors on differentiability of the norm in operator spaces [Isr. J. Math. 53, 163-190 (1985); Missouri Conf. Banach Spaces, Springer Lecture Notes Math. 1166, 158-168 (1985)].