Multiplication in the space of functions of bounded variation (Q2414774)

Let $X$ be a normed algebra over $\mathbb{R}$ or $\mathbb{C}$ and $x_{0},y_{0}\in X$. Multiplication is said to be locally open at $(x_{0},y_{0})$ if $x_{0}y_{0}$ is an interior point of $U\cdot V$ for arbitrary neighbourhoods $U$ of $x_{0}$ and $V$ of $y_{0}$. During the last few years, the pairs $(x_{0},y_{0})$, where multiplication is locally open, have been identified for a number of concrete Banach algebras. In the case of function spaces, it turned out that it is of crucial importance how the functions under consideration behave when they approach the zero level. This fact also plays an important role in the paper under review. The authors consider the space $BV[0,1]$ of $\mathbb{R}$- or $\mathbb{C}$-valued functions of bounded variation on $[0,1]$, provided with the norm $\|f\|_{BV}=$ ``sup-norm plus variation of $f$''. The main idea is to combine two results: \begin{itemize} \item All $F,G\in BV[0,1]$ can be approximated arbitrarily well by functions $F_{1},G_{1}$ such that $FG=F_{1}G_{1}$ and $\inf|F_{1}(x)|+|G_{1}(x)|>0$. \item If $F,G$ are such that $\inf|F(x)|+|G(x)|>0$, then multiplication is locally open at $(F,G)$. \end{itemize} Using these facts, which need rather technical proofs, the authors show that multiplication is locally open at every pair $(F,G)$. A detailed analysis shows that here -- in contrast to other situations where multiplication is everywhere locally open -- the local openness is not uniform, i.e., given $\varepsilon>0$, one cannot choose the same $\delta>0$ for all pairs $(F,G)$. This answers a question posed in [\textit{M. Balcerzak} et al., Banach J. Math. Anal. 10, No.~3, 482--494 (2016; Zbl 1356.46014)].