Asymptotic isometries for lacunary Müntz spaces and applications (Q2422637)

Let the normalized monomials $g_n(t)=(p\lambda_n+1)^{\frac{1}{p}}t^{\lambda_n}$, $n\in\mathbb{Z}$, be viewed in $L^p[0,1]$ over the Lebesgue measure. Here $(\lambda_n)_{n\in\mathbb{Z}}$ is an increasing sequence in $(-\frac{1}{p},\infty)$. The Gurariy-Macaev theorem asserts that $(g_n)_n$ is equivalent to the canonical basis of $\ell^p$ exactly when $(\lambda_n+\frac{1}{p})_{n\in\mathbb{Z}}$ is lacunary. Recall that a sequence $(r_n)$ is lacunary if $\inf_{n\in\mathbb{Z}}\frac{r_{n+1}}{r_n}>1$ and super-lacunary if $\lim_{|n|\to\infty}\frac{r_{n+1}}{r_n}=\infty$. In Theorem 2.1 the very pleasant result is shown that $(\lambda_n+\frac{1}{p})_{n\in\mathbb{Z}}$ is super-lacunary exactly when $(g_n)$ spans $\ell^p$, $1\leq p<\infty$, asymptotically isometrically. The proof is six pages long and not easy. This ends Section 2. In Section 3, the corresponding situation is analysed when ``$p=\infty$'', i.e., when we compare to $c_0$ in $C[0,1]$ instead of $\ell^p$ in $L^p$. The result is (at least basically) that $(t^{\lambda_n}-t^{\lambda_{n+1}})$ spans $c_0$ almost isometrically exactly when $(\lambda_n)$ is super-lacunary. Section 4 is a collection of applications of the results obtained, first some of geometrical nature and then some on strict $s$-numbers of the Cesàro operator $\Gamma_p:L^p\to L^p$, defined by \[ \Gamma_p(f)(x)=\frac{1}{x}\int_0^x f(t)\,dt. \] The final Theorem 4.6 is indeed nice, stating that $\Gamma_p$'s approximation number equals its Bernstein number equals its isomorphism number which again equals its norm (which by Hardy's inequality is $p'$). And the reason why this is so is that, for every $n\geq 1$ and any (strict) $s$-numbers, we have $s_n(\Gamma_p)=p'$.