The essential norm of a composition operator mapping into \(Q_K\) type spaces (Q2518190)

The authors study the essential norm or the composition operators \(C_\varphi\) acting from Bloch-type spaces \(B^\alpha\), defined by the condition \(\sup_{|z|<1} (1-|z|^2)^\alpha |f'(z)|<\infty\), or Dirichlet-type spaces \(D^p_\alpha\), defined by the condition \(\int_{\mathbb D} |f'(z)|^p (1-|z|^2)^\alpha\,dA(z)<\infty\), into a general class of Banach space of holomorphic functions \(Q_K(p,q)\) which are defined, for \(0<p<\infty\) and \(-2<q<\infty\), by the condition \(\sup_{|a|<1} \int_{\mathbb D} |f'(z)|^p (1-|z|^2)^q K(g(z,a))\,dA(z)<\infty\), where \(g(z,a)=-\log|\frac{a-z}{1-\bar a z}|\) and \(K\) is a right-continuous and non-decreasing nonnegative function defined on \([0,\infty)\). The compactness result from \(B^\alpha\) into \(Q_K(p,q)\) is due to the first author [J.~Funct.\ Spaces Appl.\ 5, No.\,2, 103--122 (2007; Zbl 1142.47016)]. In the paper under review, it is shown that the expected formula gives the essential norm of the operator. Characterizations of the boundedness and compactness of the composition operator \(C_\varphi\) from \(D^s_\alpha\) into \(Q_K(p,q)\) are given whenever \(0<s\leq p<\infty\), \(-1<\alpha<\infty\) and \(-2<q<\infty\). Then the essential norm of the operator is given under the assumption for \(1<s\leq p<\infty\).