Cohen summing multilinear multiplication operators (Q2020485)

A continuous linear operator between Banach spaces \(T\in\mathcal L(X,Y)\) is strongly \(p\)-summing in the sense of \textit{J. S. Cohen} [Math. Ann. 201, 177--200 (1973; Zbl 0233.47019)] if and only if its adjoint \(T^*\in\mathcal L(Y^*,X^*)\) is absolutely \(p\)-summing. As an easy consequence of a classical result about absolutely \(p\)-summing maps with range on cotype 2 spaces, the following statement is derived: If \(X\) has type 2, then, for every \(1<p<2\), any strongly \(p\)-summing operator \(T\in\mathcal L(X,Y)\) is strongly 2-summing. The notion of strongly \(p\)-summability in the sense of Cohen has its multilinear counterpart. A bounded \(k\)-linear operator \(U:X_1\times\cdots\times X_k\to Y\) is \textit{Cohen} \(p\)-\textit{summing} if the linear adjoint \(U^*\in\mathcal L(Y^*, \mathcal L(X_1,\dots, X_k))\) is absolutely \(p\)-summing. \textit{Q. Bu} and \textit{Z. Shi} [J. Math. Anal. Appl. 401, No. 1, 174--181 (2013; Zbl 1275.47117)] commented that they did not know whether the multilinear version of the above result holds. That is, if \(X_1,\dots, X_k\) have type \(p\), is it true that every Cohen \(p\)-summing operator from \(X_1\times\cdots\times X_k\) to \(Y\) is Cohen 2-summing, for every \(1<p<2\)? Motivated by this question, the author of the paper under review examines Cohen \(p\)-summability for multilinear \textsl{multiplication} operators. As a result of this study, several examples are presented showing that the answear to Bu and Shi's question is negative.