On Daugavet indices of thickness (Q2225252)

Let \(X\) be a Banach space, \(S_X\) and \(B_X\) be its unit sphere and its closed unit ball, respectively, and let \(\mathrm{Id}\) be the identity operator on \(X\). \(X\) has the \textit{Daugavet property} if \(\|\mathrm{Id} + T\| = 1 + \|T\|\) for every bounded linear operator \(T: X \to X\) of rank~1. It is known that this property is equivalent to the following one: for every \(x \in S_X\) and \(\varepsilon > 0\), every non-empty relatively weakly open subset \(W\) of \(B_X\) contains a \(y \in W\) with \(\|x - y\| > 2 - \varepsilon\). If in this geometric characterization one replaces the weakly open subset by a slice or by a convex combination of slices, the property remains unchanged [\textit{R.~V. Shvydkoy}, J. Funct. Anal. 176, No.~2, 198--212 (2000; Zbl 0964.46006)]. The Daugavet index of thickness \(\mathcal T(X)\) was introduced in [\textit{A.~Rueda Zoca}, Banach J. Math. Anal. 12, No.~1, 68--84 (2018; Zbl 1391.46017)] in order to measure quantitatively how far the properties of \(X\) stay from the Daugavet property. According to the definition, \(\mathcal T(X)\) is equal to the infimum of those \(r > 0\) such that there are \(x \in S_X\) and a non-empty relatively weakly open subset \(W \subset B_X\) with \(\|x - y\| \leqslant r\) for all \(y \in W\). In the paper under review, the authors define two more Daugavet indices of thickness, \(\mathcal T^s(X)\) and \(\mathcal T^{cc}(X)\), whose definitions differ from the definition of \(\mathcal T(X)\) only by the properties of \(W\): for \(\mathcal T^s(X)\), the words ``relatively weakly open subset'' are substituted by ``slice'', and for \(\mathcal T^{cc}(X)\), they are substituted by ``convex combination of slices''. It is easy to see that \(0 \leqslant \mathcal T^{cc}(X) \leqslant \mathcal T(X) \leqslant \mathcal T^s(X) \leqslant 2\), and that the Daugavet property of \(X\) is equivalent to each of the equalities \(T^s(X) = 2\), \(\mathcal T(X) = 2\) or \( \mathcal T^{cc}(X) = 2\). The article contains a detailed study of these quantities, in particular of their behavior in direct sums of Banach spaces. As a consequence, for every \(0 < \delta < 2\), the existence of a Banach space \(X\) where the infimum of the diameter of convex combinations of slices of \(B_X\) is exactly \(\delta\) is demonstrated, which solves an open question from [\textit{R.~Haller} et al., Banach J. Math. Anal. 12, No.~1, 222--239 (2018; Zbl 1390.46010)]. Finally, using the predual to the Ghoussoub-Maurey modification \(JT_\infty\) of the James Tree Space, the authors solve in the negative an open question from [\textit{Y.~Ivakhno}, J. Math. Phys. Anal. Geom. 2, No.~1, 94--103 (2006; Zbl 1141.46302)] about the relation between the outer radius and the diameter of slices.