The boundary problem for \(L_{1}\)-preduals (Q2654672)

In this paper, the author answers affirmatively the celebrated `boundary problem' of \textit{G.\,Godefroy} [``Boundaries of a convex set and interpolation sets'', Math.\ Ann.\ 277, 173--184 (1987; Zbl 0597.46015), Question V.2] for the class of Banach spaces \(X\) whose dual is isometric to \(L^1(\mu)\), the so-called \(L^1\)-predual spaces. A subset \(B\) of the dual unit ball is said to be a boundary if for each \(x \in X\) there is a \(b \in B\) such that \(b(x)=\|x\|\). Let \(\sigma(X,B)\) denote the locally convex topology on \(X\) induced by \(B\). The set of extreme points of the dual unit ball is such a set. In the above quoted paper, G.\,Godefroy asked whether every bounded \(\sigma(X,B)\)-compact set \(K\) is weakly compact. This problem attracted a lot of attention and some partial results are known, for example, when \(K\) is a convex set or \(X\) is a \(C(L)\)-space for a compact set \(L\) (this is an \(L^1\)-predual space). In a remarkable recent achievement, \textit{H.\,Pfitzner} [Invent.\ Math.\ 182, No.\,3, 585--604 (2010; Zbl 1215.46015)] showed that any boundary determines weak compactness.