Symmetric block bases of sequences with large average growth (Q2640833)

It is shown that if \(0<\epsilon \leq 1\), \(1\leq p<2\), and \(\{x_ i\}^ n_{i=1}\) is a set of unit vectors in a n.l.s. X for which E \(\| \sum^{n}_{i=1}\epsilon_ ix_ i\| \geq n^{1/p}\), then there is a \((1+\epsilon)\)-symmetric block basis \(\{y_ j\}^ m_{j=1}\) of \(\{x_ i\}^ n_{i=1}\) with cardinality \(m\geq \delta n^{2/p-1}(\ln n)^{-1}\) (where \(\delta\) depends only on \(\epsilon\)). A discussion of the sense in which this result is the best possible, and improvements in the case where X satisfies certain type or co-type conditions, are also given. In an appendix the author proves that when \(1<p<+\infty\) the space \(X=\ell^ p\) does not have the property that for every B-space Y the norm-attaining operators in B(Y,X) are dense in B(Y,X) (thereby answering a question considered by several authors over the years).