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Trying to find and answer to this question, I have encountered two more-studied problems.

The first is to find when a Banach space admits an equivalent uniformly convex norm. The answer is that for example separable spaces always do, but nonseparable spaces might not. This does not satisfy me because I only want the existence of a continuous strictly convex norm. I am happy for it to generate a strictly weaker topology.

I have also found this paper that says that is we are interested in uniform and not strict convexity, then even admitting a single uniformly convex function is enough to make the space equivalent to a uniformly convex one. However this is about uniform convexity which is stronger than strict convexity.

The second problem is about compact convex subsets of a Banach space admitting a continuous strictly convex function. Hervé proved this is the case iff the set is metrisable. The proof is Theorem I.4.3 of "Erik M.Alfsen Compact Convex Sets and Boundary Integrals". This does not sound useful to me either, because all the sets I'm interested in are both noncompact and metrisable.

Does anyone know whether every Banach space admits a continuous strictly convex norm? Or do I need to put on my learning goggles and give the paper a detailed read?

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    $\begingroup$ Separable spaces need not have equivalent uniformly convex norms, because uniform convexity implies reflexivity and not every space is reflexive. You confused uniform convexity with strict convexity. $\endgroup$ Commented Jul 9, 2023 at 7:36
  • $\begingroup$ @PiotrHajlasz You are right. I misread the first link $\endgroup$
    – Daron
    Commented Jul 9, 2023 at 7:40
  • $\begingroup$ As stated in the title, this depends only on the vector space structure and so on the cardinality of the underlying space. Thus the answer is usually yes. $\endgroup$
    – terceira
    Commented Jul 9, 2023 at 8:24
  • $\begingroup$ @terceira It depends on the topology, because I also want it to be continuous. $\endgroup$
    – Daron
    Commented Jul 9, 2023 at 8:29
  • $\begingroup$ Sorry--misread the question. $\endgroup$
    – terceira
    Commented Jul 9, 2023 at 9:24

2 Answers 2

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If $\|\cdot\|_1$ is a continuous strictly convex norm on $(X,\|\cdot\|_0)$, then $\|x\|_2=\|x\|_0 + \|x\|_1$ defines an strictly convex norm on $X$ equivalent to $\|\cdot\|_0$. Therefore, a space like $\ell_\infty/c_0$ that does not admit an equivalent strictly convex norm, it does not admit a continuous strictly convex norm.

J. Bourgain proved that $\ell_\infty/c_0$ does not admit an equivalent strictly convex norm here.

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  • $\begingroup$ Thanks a million for the answer. It would have taken ages for me to realise you can just add the norms together. $\endgroup$
    – Daron
    Commented Jul 19, 2023 at 12:21
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I think that any continuous norm on $l^{\infty} (\Gamma)$ with $\Gamma$ uncountable is not strictly convexifiable. This is a concequence of the following two facts.

Fact 1: The space $l^{\infty} (\Gamma)$ with $\Gamma$ uncountable is not strictly convexifiable.

Fact 2: If $X$ is a Banach space and $T:l^{\infty} (\Gamma) \rightarrow X $ (with $\Gamma $ uncountable ) is a bounded one to one operator then $X$ contains isomorphically a copy of $l^{\infty} (\Gamma)$ with $\Gamma$ uncountable.Hence $X$ is not strictly convexifiable.

Remark: There is an unclear point in this answer. This is the requirement that $X$ is a Banach space which could not be valued for continuous and non equivalent norms on $l^{\infty} (\Gamma)$.However I believe that the result is correct.

Edit : The non completeness of $l^{\infty} (\Gamma)$ with the new norm is not a problem. The exact conclusion in Fact 2 is that there exists an uncountable $ \Delta \subset \Gamma $ such that $T| l^{\infty} (\Delta)$ is an isomorphism.

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  • $\begingroup$ I don't fully understand your answer. Are you just using the open mapping theorem for the mapping going from the original space, to the same space with the new norm, to see the two norms are equivalent? $\endgroup$
    – Daron
    Commented Jul 9, 2023 at 9:51
  • $\begingroup$ If you mean my remark then any continuous norm on a Banach space either is equivalent to the original one or the space with the new norm is not complete. $\endgroup$
    – S Argyros
    Commented Jul 9, 2023 at 10:00
  • $\begingroup$ Oh, you're right, it's not that easy. Does fact 2 have a name? Is it hard to prove? $\endgroup$
    – Daron
    Commented Jul 9, 2023 at 12:22
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    $\begingroup$ The result is due to H.P.Rosenthal. On relatively disjoint families of measures, with some applications to Banach space theory, Studia Math. 37 (1970), 13-36. MR 42 #5015. The main lemma is simplified by J. Kupka Proc. AMS Vol. 45 70 - 73 (1974) $\endgroup$
    – S Argyros
    Commented Jul 9, 2023 at 13:14
  • $\begingroup$ I have the following question related to the original one. Suppose that $X$ is a non strictly convexifiable Banach space. Is it true that every dense subspace is also non strictly convexifiable? In particular what is the answer for $l^{\infty} ( \Gamma)$ with $ \Gamma $ an uncountable set. $\endgroup$
    – S Argyros
    Commented Jul 10, 2023 at 15:52

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