On cotype and summing properties in Banach spaces. (Q1850246)

Let \(2\leq q < \infty\). The author proves that a complex Banach space \(X\) is of weak cotype \(q\) if and only if there is a constant \(c>0\) such that for all \(n\in \mathbb{N}\) and every sequence \((x_k)_k\) in any \(n\)-dimensional subspace \(E \subset X\), the inequality \[ \sum_k\| x_k\| \leq c n^{1-1/q}\sup_{\varepsilon_k =\pm 1}\Bigl\|\sum_k\varepsilon_kx_k\Bigr\| \] holds. Moreover, the author shows that this is equivalent to a decay rate \(\lambda_n(T)=\mathcal{O}(n^{-1/q})\) for the eigenvalues \(\lambda_n(T)\) (arranged in non-increasing order and counting multiplicities) of all operators \(T:X\to X\) which factor through \(\ell_\infty\). The first equivalence is closely related to and inspired by the following result of \textit{M. Talagrand} [Invent. Math. 87, 545--556 (1992; Zbl 0814.46010)]: If \(2<q<\infty\), then a Banach space \(X\) is of cotype \(q\) if and only if the identity in \(X\) is \((q,1)\)-summing. As was also shown by Talagrand, this characterization of cotype fails for \(q=2\). However, surprisingly, the present author's criterion for weak cotype covers the case \(q=2\). In the proofs, among other ingredients, random techniques due to Talagrand and an \(\ell_{q,\infty}\) variant of \((q,1)\)-summing operators are used.