A note on lower semicontinuous smooth norms (Q2317554)

A Banach space $X$ has property $\mathcal{P}$ if, for every norming subspace $N\subset X^*$, there is an equivalent Gâteaux differentiable norm on $X$ that is $w(X,N)$-lower semicontinuous. A compact set $K$ has property $\mathcal{P}$ if, for every dense subset $D$ of $K$, there exists an equivalent Gâteaux differentiable norm on $C(K)$ that is lower semicontinuous for the topology of the pointwise convergence on the elements of $D$. The main result of the paper under review is Theorem 6, which proves that, if $K$ is a Valdivia compact space with property $\mathcal{P}$, then $C(K)$ is a WLD Banach space, and therefore $K$ is Corson. This result generalizes Theorem 5 in [\textit{M. Fabian} et al., Arch. Math. 78, No. 6, 459--464 (2002; Zbl 1007.46008)] by dropping the assumption on the density character, and at the same time simplifies its proof. Moreover, using a similar approach, the authors prove that, if a Banach space $X$ is Plichko and has property $\mathcal{P}$, then $X$ is WLD (Corollary 9).