Certain Norm Related Quantities of Unbounded Linear Operators (Q4024477)

Let \(X\), \(Y\) and \(Z\) be arbitrary normed spaces. Let \(\dim M\) denote the dimension of a subspace \(M\) of \(X\) and \(\text{cod}_ X M\) the codimension of \(M\) with respect to \(X\), \(J_ M\) the canonical injection of \(M\) into \(X\) and \(Q_ M\) the quotient map from \(X\) onto the quotient space \(X/M\). Let \(T\) be a linear operator with domain \(D(T)\), \(T'\) its dual, and \(\alpha(T)\) and \(b(T)\) stand respectively for the quantities \(\dim N(T)\) and \(\text{cod}_ Y R(T)\), where \(N(T)\) and \(R(T)\) denote respectively the null space and the range of \(T\). Furthermore, \(T\) is said to be \(\phi_ -\) \((\phi_ +)\) if \(T\) is a normally solvable operator with \(b(T)<\infty\) \((\alpha(T)<\infty)\). The author uses the following definitions: If \(\dim Y<\infty\), let \(f(T)=0\) where \(f\in \{\Gamma',\Delta',\Gamma_ 0',\tau',\upsilon'\}\). If \(\dim Y=\infty\), then \[ \begin{aligned} \Gamma'(T) &= \inf_{M\in{\mathcal J}_ c(\widetilde Y)}\| Q_ M J_ Y T\|,\;\Delta'(T)= \sup_{M\in{\mathcal J}_ c(Y)} \Gamma'(Q_ M T),\\ \Gamma_ 0'(T) &= \inf_{M\in{\mathcal F}(Y)} \| Q_ M T\|,\;\tau'= \sup_{M\in{\mathcal J}_ c(Y)} \inf\{\| y' T\|: y'\in S_{M^ \perp}\},\\ \upsilon'(T) & =\sup_{M\in{\mathcal F}(Y)} \inf\{\| y' T\|: y'\in S_{M^ \perp}\},\end{aligned} \] where \({\mathcal J}(X)\) and \({\mathcal J}_ c(x)\) denote respectively the classes of infinite-dimensional and closed infinite-codimensional subspaces of \(X\) and \({\mathcal F}(X)\) denotes the class of finite-dimensional subspaces of \(X\). The purpose of this paper is to examine the functions \(\{\Gamma',\Delta',\Gamma_ 0',\tau',\upsilon'\}\) in a general setting of arbitrary linear operators (not necessarily continuous) between normed spaces including the possibility \(f(T)=\infty\). These dual functions are shown to be closely related to the theory of precompact, strictly cosingular and \(\phi\)-operators. Some continuity and precompactness properties of linear operators in normed spaces are also given in terms of these functions. Many of the results obtained seems to be new even in Banach space setting.