On \(\sigma\)-porous sets in abstract spaces (Q2495019)

This is a~survey paper whose aim is to give basic information about properties and applications of \(\sigma\)-porous sets in Banach spaces and some other infinite-dimensional spaces. There are different definitions of porosity in the literature. To distinguish between them the author suggests to use the term ``\(\sigma\)-upper porous sets'' for ``\(\sigma\)-porous sets'' as an opposite to ``\(\sigma\)-lower porous sets''. Several subsystems of the system of \(\sigma\)-porous sets which have applications in abstract spaces are considered. These are some subsystems of the system of \(\sigma\)-upper porous sets such as \(\sigma\)-directionally porous sets, \(\sigma\)-strongly porous sets, \(\sigma\)-closure porous sets, etc., and some subsystems of the systems of \(\sigma\)-lower porous sets, namely, cone (angle) small sets, ball small sets, sets covered by surfaces of finite codimension, \(\sigma\)-cone-supported sets, and HP-small sets. Some discussion on smallness in the sense of measure and on descriptive properties for these subsystems follows. If \(X\) is a~separable infinite-dimensional Banach space, then three notions of smallness are considered: Gauss null sets, Haar null sets, and \(\Gamma\)-null sets. The applications of \(\sigma\)-porous sets concern differentiability of functions, approximation properties of sets, and variational principles, mainly. The paper can be considered as a~continuation of the author's survey [Real Anal. Exch.~13, No.~2, 314--350 (1988; Zbl 0666.26003)] and it presents some information on solutions of questions stated in the previous survey as well as an information on the progress made since then in the finite-dimensional case. Only a small number of theorems with almost no proofs are stated in the paper but the list of references is quite long.