Operators on asymptotic \(\ell_p\) spaces which are not compact perturbations of a multiple of the identity (Q733329)

The paper is concerned with constructing nontrivial bounded linear operators, \(T\in \mathcal L(X)\), for certain types of separable infinite-dimensional Banach spaces \(X\). Numerous examples have been produced of spaces \(X\) such that \(\mathcal L(X) = \{\lambda I + S :\lambda\in \mathbb R\) and \(S\) is a strictly singular operator\(\}\). When this paper was written, it was unknown if an \(X\) could be found such that \(\mathcal L(X) = \{\lambda I+K :\lambda \in \mathbb R\), \(K\) is a compact operator\(\}\) (recently solved in the affirmative by \textit{S.\,A.\thinspace Argyros} and \textit{R.\,G.\thinspace Haydon} [``A hereditarily indecomposable \(L_\infty\)-space that solves the scalar-plus-compact problem'' (Preprint) (2009; arXiv:0903.3921)]). Thus a motivating problem was to produce strictly singular noncompact operators on spaces \(X\) as above. The main theorem concerns spaces \(X_\mathbb N\) where \(\mathbb N\) is a norming set which is \((M,N,q)\)-Schreier. This class includes the asymptotic \(\ell_p\) hereditarily indecomposable (H.I.) spaces of [\textit{I.\,Deliyanni} and \textit{A.\,Manoussakis}, Ill.\ J.\ Math.\ 51, No.\,~3, 767--803 (2007; Zbl 1160.46006)]. The spaces \({\mathcal L}(X_{\mathbb N})\) are shown to admit an operator \(T\) so that (a) \(T\) is not of the form \(\lambda I +K\), \(K\) compact. (b) If \(X_{\mathbb N}\) is H.I., then, in addition, \(T\) is strictly singular.