The level function in rearrangement invariant spaces (Q5940009)

The author studies the properties of the down norm, which is the dual norm of the dual space of a rearrangement invariant space, but where the supremum that enters in duality is taken over nonnegative increasing functions instead of being taken over all functions. Specifically, \(X\) is a rearrangement invariant function space, \(\lambda\) is a regular Borel measure on \(R\) with \(\lambda(- \infty, x] < \infty\) for all \(x \in R\), and which is either non-atomic or completely atomic with all atoms having measure one, and then the down norm is defined by \[ \|f\|_{X \downarrow} = \sup \left\{\int_R |f|g d\lambda : g \geq 0, g\text{ non-increasing }, \|g\|_{X'} \leq 1\right\}. \] He adapts some of his earlier results to give a level function of \(f\), \(f^{\circ}\) which has the property that \(\|f\|_X = \|f^{\circ}\|_{X\downarrow}\). It was shown that in \(L_p\), there is an averaging operator which when applied to \(f\) gives a norm equivalent to the down norm of \(f\). He gives a comparable result, introducing \(P\) defined by \[ Pf(x) = \Lambda(x)^{-1} \int_{-\infty}^x f d\lambda + \Lambda(\infty)^{-1} \int_{-\infty}^{\infty} f d\lambda. \] where \(\Lambda (x) = \int_{-\infty}^x d\lambda\). He shows that \(\|f\|_{X \downarrow} \simeq \|Pf\|_X\) holds for all \(f \geq 0\) if and only if \(P\) is bounded on \(X\). \(P\) also allows him to characterize boundedness in terms of the Boyd index of a space. He concludes by showing that \(X \downarrow\) is a Banach space of functions, although it is not a Banach function space. He gives a characterization of a space that is in duality with the space \(X \downarrow\), and shows that if the norms in \(X\) and \(X \downarrow\) are absolutely continuous (sequences converging pointwise to zero converge in norm), then the space he introduces is actually the dual.