Minimal vectors in arbitrary Banach spaces (Q4452209)

The method of minimal vectors was introduced by Per Enflo in 1996 as a new way of constructing invariant subspaces for some classes of bounded operators on Hilbert spaces [see \textit{S. Ansari} and \textit{P. Enflo}, Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 350, No. 2, 539--558 (1998; Zbl 0888.47002)]. This method was subsequently extended to super-reflexive Banach spaces ln [\textit{G. Androulakis}, Contemp. Math. 321, 29--36 (2003; Zbl 1047.47006)] and to reflexive Banach spaces in [\textit{I. Chalendar}, \textit{J. R. Partington} and \textit{M. Smith}, Proc. Am. Math. Soc. 132, No. 4, 1133--1142 (2004; Zbl 1115.46009)]. In the paper under review, the author extends the method of minimal vectors to arbitrary Banach spaces. The main result is the following theorem: Suppose that \(X\) is a Banach space and \(T\) is a bounded quasinilpotent operator on \(X.\) Assume that there exists a closed ball \(B\subset X\) not containing the origin, with the following property: for each sequence \(\{x_ n\}_ n\) of vectors in \(B\) there exists a subsequence \(\{x_{n_ k}\}_ k\) and a sequence \(\{A_ k\}\) of operators in the unit ball of the commutant of \(T\) such that the sequence \(\{A_ k x_{n_ k}\}\) converges in the norm to a nonzero vector. Then \(T\) has a nontrivial hyperinvariant subspace. In particular, this result offers an alternate proof for the existence of nontrivial hyperinvariant subspaces of quasinilpotent operators commuting with nonzero compact operators, which is a particular case of a celebrated theorem of \textit{V. Lomonosov} [Funct. Anal. Appl. 7, 213--214 (1973); transl. from Funkts. Anal. Prilozh. 7, 55--56 (1973; Zbl 0293.47003)].