Characterisation of the weak-star symmetric strong diameter 2 property in Lipschitz spaces (Q2287227)

Let us start with some definitions. Given a Banach space \(X\), we say that \(X\) has the strong diameter two property (SD2P) if every convex combination of slices has diameter two. If \(X\) is actually a dual Banach space, we say that \(X\) has the \(w^*\)-strong diameter two property (\(w^*\)-SD2P) if every convex combination of \(w^*\)-slices has diameter two. In [\textit{A. Procházka} and \textit{A. Rueda Zoca}, Ann. Inst. Fourier 68, No. 2, 569--588 (2018; Zbl 1409.46008)], the \(w^*\)-SD2P has been characterised in spaces of Lipschitz functions. Given a pointed metric space \(M\), \(\mathrm{Lip}(M)\) stands for the space of all the Lipschitz functions \(f:M\to \mathbb R\) which vanish at the origin, which is a Banach space when equipped with the classical Lipschitz seminorm. Indeed, it turns out to be a dual Banach space, precisely, the dual of \(\mathcal F(M):=\overline{\mathrm{span}}\{\delta_m: m\in M\}\), where \(\delta_m\in \mathrm{Lip}(M)^*\) is defined by the equation \(\delta_m(f):=f(m)\) for every \(f\in \mathrm{Lip}(M)\). In the above mentioned paper, it has been characterised when \(\mathrm{Lip}(M)\) enjoys the \(w^*\)-SD2P, obtaining the following result: given a metric space \(M\), the following assertions are equivalent: \begin{itemize} \item[(1)] \(\mathrm{Lip}(M)\) has the \(w^*\)-SD2P. \item[(2)] \(M\) has the long trapezoid property (LTP), i.e., given any finite subset \(N\) of \(M\) and any \(\varepsilon>0\), there exists a pair of distinct points \(u,v\in M\) such that the inequality \[(1-\varepsilon)(d(x,y)+d(u,v))\leq d(x,u)+d(y,v)\] holds for every \(x,y\in N\). \end{itemize} In the paper under review, the author establishes a characterisation of when \(\mathrm{Lip}(M)\) has a stronger (and more recent) property, defined in [\textit{R. Haller} et al., Mediterr. J. Math. 16, No. 2, Paper No. 35, 17 p. (2019; Zbl 1419.46009)]. A dual Banach space \(X^*\) is said to have the \(w^*\)-symmetric strong diameter two property (\(w^*\)-SSD2P) if, given finitely many \(w^*\)-slices \(S_1,\dots, S_n\) and \(\varepsilon>0\), there exists \(f_i\in S_i\) for \(1\leq i\leq n\) and \(g\in B_{X^*}\) such that \(\Vert f_i\pm g\Vert\leq 1\) and \(\Vert g\Vert>1-\varepsilon\). The main result of the paper establishes the following: given a metric space \(M\), the following are equivalent: \begin{itemize} \item[(1)] \(\mathrm{Lip}(M)\) has the \(w^*\)-SSD2P. \item[(2)] \(M\) has the strong long trapezoid property (SLTP), that is, for every finite subset \(N\) of \(M\) and every \(\varepsilon>0\), there exists a pair of distinct elements \(u,v\in M\) such that the following conditions hold: \begin{itemize} \item[(a)] \((1-\varepsilon)(d(x,y)+d(u,v))\leq d(x,u)+d(y,v)\) holds for every \(x,y\in N\) and \item[(b)] \((1-\varepsilon)(2d(u,v)+d(x,y)+d(z,w))\leq d(x,u)+d(y,u)+d(z,v)+d(w,v)\) holds for every \(x,y,z,w\in N\). \end{itemize} \end{itemize} The author also provides a large class of examples of metric spaces related to the SLTP: \begin{itemize} \item[(1)] There exists a metric space \(M\) witht the LTP but failing the SLTP. Consequently, \(\mathrm{Lip}(M)\) has the \(w^*\)-SD2P but fails the \(w^*\)-SD2P. \item[(2)] There exists a metric space \(M\) failing the LTP but where condition (b) in definition of the SLTP holds. This example implies that condition (a) in the definition of SLTP does not follow from condition (b). \item[(3)] Every infinite subset of \(\ell_1\) has the SLTP, which generalises the corresponding result of Procházka and Rueda Zoca [loc. cit.], where the LTP has been obtained under the same assumptions. \end{itemize}