My question was prompted by an earlier MO by @Daniel:
Duality map in strictly convex Banach spaces
I will even use his symbol $\phi$ below.
Let $B$ be an arbitrary Banach space. Let $S := \{x\in B:\|x\|=1\}$ be its unit sphere. Let $\Gamma := \{f\in B^\*: \|f\|=1\}$ be the unit sphere in the dual space $B^\*$.
QUESTION Are the following two conditions on $B$ equivalent:
- B is isometric to a Hilbert space.
- There exists an isometry $\phi: \Gamma \rightarrow S$ such that $\forall_{f\in\Gamma}\ f(\phi(f))=1$.
?
The finite-dimensional case is especially basic.
REMARK 0 Perhaps similar questions were asked in the past (on MO too?)--please, let me know.
REMARK 2 The case of $\mathbb R^2$ and its two dual but isometric norms $L_\infty\quad L_1$ is interesting. The general question related to the one above is to describe all Banach spaces which are isometric to their dual space. Is there any beside the Hilbert spaces and $\mathbb R^2$ with the norm(s) just mentioned above?