A criterion of weak compactness for operators on subspaces of Orlicz spaces (Q2518192)

Fix a non purely atomic probability space \((\Omega,\mathbb{P})\) and let \(\Psi:[0,\infty]\to[0,\infty]\) be an Orlicz function which is continuous at \(0\), strictly convex and such that \(\Psi(x)/x\to +\infty\) when \(x\to +\infty\). Denote by \(M^{\Psi}\) the Morse-Transue space associated to \(\Psi\), that is, the closure of \(L^{\infty}\) in the Orlicz space \(L^{\Psi}\) equipped with the Luxemburg norm \(\|\cdot\|_{\Psi}\). In the paper under review, the authors give first a characterization of the operators defined on subspaces of \(M^{\Psi}\) which fix no copy of \(c_{0}\). Then, motivated by some characterizations of weakly compact operators on C(K) spaces [\textit{C.\,P.\thinspace Niculescu}, Bull.\ Am.\ Math.\ Soc.\ 81, 1064--1066 (1975; Zbl 0318.47014)], \(C^{*}\)-algebras [\textit{H.\,Jarchow}, Math.\ Ann.\ 273, 341--343 (1986; Zbl 0593.47016)] and the spaces \(A(\mathbb{D})\) and \(H^{\infty}\) [\textit{P.\,Lefèvre}, J.~Oper.\ Theory 54, No.\,2, 229--238 (2005; Zbl 1104.47019)], they provide a criterion for weak compactness for operators on \(M^{\Psi}\). This criterion takes on a more usable form when \(\Psi\) satisfies the \(\Delta^{0}\) condition introduced in the present paper, that is, for some \(\beta>1\), \(\Psi(\beta x)/ \Psi(x) \to + \infty\) when \(x \to + \infty\). More precisely, the authors prove that, if \(\Psi\) satisfies the \(\Delta^{0}\) condition, \(X\) is a subspace of \(M^{\Psi}\) and \(Y\) is an arbitrary Banach space, then an operator \(T\) from \(X\) to \(Y\) is weakly compact if and only if, for some \(1 \leq p < \infty\) and all \(\varepsilon>0\), there exists \(C_{\varepsilon}\) such that \[ \|T(f)\| \leq C_{\varepsilon} \|f\|_{p} + \varepsilon \|f \|_{\Psi} \quad\text{for all }f \in X. \] The authors do not know whether the \(\Delta^{0}\) condition is necessary for this characterization.