On asymptotically uniformly smooth Banach spaces (Q1932192)

For a Banach space \(X\) with norm \(\| \cdot \|\) and \(\epsilon>0\), the modulus of asymptotic uniform smoothness is the quantity \(\overline{\rho}_X(\epsilon) = \sup_{\| x\|=1}\inf_Y \sup_{\| y\|\leq\epsilon}(\| x+y\|-1)\), where \(y\in Y\) and \(Y\) runs over the finite-codimensional subspaces of \(X\). The norm \(\| \cdot \|\) is said to be asymptotically uniformly smooth (AUS) if \(\lim_{\epsilon\rightarrow0}\epsilon^{-1}\overline{\rho}_X(\epsilon)=0\), and \(\overline{\rho}_X(\epsilon)\) is said to be of power type if \(\overline{\rho}_X(\epsilon)=O(\epsilon^p)\) for some \(p>1\). In the paper under review, an ordinal index called the goal index (similar to the better known Szlenk index) is used to characterise AUS-renormability and study the presence of \(c_0\) structure in Banach spaces. The goal index associated to a closed subset \(A\subseteq X\) and \(\epsilon>0\), denoted \(Gz(A,\epsilon)\), is defined via a derivation \(A\mapsto A'\) on closed subsets of \(X\) (rather than on subsets of \(X^\ast\), as is the case for the Szlenk index). The proofs also make use of a modulus \(\zeta_X(\epsilon)\) that is equivalent to the AUS modulus \(\overline{\rho}_X(\epsilon)\) and defined in terms of the same derivation from which \(Gz(A,\epsilon)\) is defined. Amongst the numerous results of the paper is a proof (Theorem 1.2) that a Banach space \(X\) admits an equivalent AUS norm if and only if it admits an equivalent norm with modulus of asymptotic uniform smoothness of power type. Though this result was previously known to be true for separable spaces via duality considerations such as the Szlenk index (see Theorem 3 of [\textit{H. Knaust, E. Odell} and \textit{Th. Schlumprecht}, Positivity 3, No. 2, 173--199 (1999; Zbl 0937.46006)] and related references to be found there for much more information), it is especially noteworthy that in the paper under review, ``the construction of the smooth norm is completely geometrical and it allows to relate the index \(Gz\) to \(\overline{\rho}_X\) in such a way that the power type appears naturally.'' Numerous results concerning the \(c_0\) structure in Banach spaces are obtained; we mention here only the following to give some indication: If \(X\) admits an equivalent AUS norm of power type \(p>1\), then there exists \(k>0\) such that, for every natural number \(n\), we have \(\inf\{ d_{BM}(Y,\ell_\infty^n)\mid Y\subseteq X,\,\dim(Y)=n\} \leq kn^{1/p}\), where \(d_{BM}\) denotes the Banach-Mazur distance (Theorem 1.4). It follows that, if \(X\) is a Banach space such that \(Gz(B_X,\epsilon)\geq\omega\) for some \(\epsilon>0\), then \(c_0\) is finitely representable in \(X\) (Corollary 4.7).