Gateaux derivative of \(C^\ast\) norm (Q1979371)

Let \(V\) be a complex Banach space and let \(0 \neq v,u \in V\). Starting with the classical formula \(\max\{\Re f(u): \|v\|=f(v)\), \(f\in V^\ast\), \(\|f\|=1\} = \lim_{t \rightarrow 0+}\frac{\|v+tu\|-\|v\|}{t}\), in this interesting paper, the author gives a local description of the left hand side of the above formula in terms of any closed two-sided ideal \(I\), of a \(C^\ast\)-algebra, at points \(v\) with \(d(v,I)< \|v\|\). Several applications are given of this. For example, for \({\mathcal K}(H) \subset {\mathcal L}(H)\), for an operator \(A\) for which \(0\) is not a best compact approximation, the subdifferential set can be described (Theorem~1.4) as the closed convex hull of rank one operators involving unit vectors \(u,v\) that satisfy \(Au=\|A\|v\).