Semi-reflexive space


In the area of mathematics known as functional analysis, a semi-reflexive space is a locally convex topological vector space X such that the canonical evaluation map from X into its bidual is bijective.
If this map is also an isomorphism of TVSs then it is called reflexive.
Semi-reflexive spaces play an important role in the general theory of locally convex TVSs.
Since a normable TVS is semi-reflexive if and only if it is reflexive, the concept of semi-reflexivity is primarily used with TVSs that are not normable.

Definition and notation

Brief definition

Suppose that is a topological vector space over the field whose continuous dual space,, separates points on .
Let and both denote the strong dual of, which is the vector space of continuous linear functionals on endowed with the topology of uniform convergence on Topology of uniform convergence#Strong [dual topology b(X*, X)|bounded subsets] of ;
this topology is also called the strong dual topology and it is the "default" topology placed on a continuous dual space.
If is a normed space, then the strong dual of is the continuous dual space with its usual norm topology.
The bidual of, denoted by, is the strong dual of ; that is, it is the space.
For any let be defined by, where is called the evaluation map at ;
since is necessarily continuous, it follows that.
Since separates points on, the map defined by is injective where this map is called the evaluation map or the canonical map.
This map was introduced by Hans Hahn in 1927.
We call semireflexive if is bijective and we call reflexive if in addition is an isomorphism of TVSs.
If is a normed space then is a TVS-embedding as well as an isometry onto its range;
furthermore, by Goldstine's theorem, the range of is a dense subset of the bidual.
A normable space is reflexive if and only if it is semi-reflexive.
A Banach space is reflexive if and only if its closed unit ball is -compact.

Detailed definition

Let be a topological vector space over a number field .
Consider its strong dual space, which consists of all continuous linear functionals and is equipped with the strong topology, that is, the topology of uniform convergence on bounded subsets in.
The space is a topological vector space, so one can consider its strong dual space, which is called the strong bidual space for.
It consists of all
continuous linear functionals and is equipped with the strong topology.
Each vector generates a map by the following formula:
This is a continuous linear functional on, that is,.
One obtains a map called the evaluation map or the canonical injection:
which is a linear map.
If is locally convex, from the Hahn–Banach theorem it follows that is injective and open.
But it can be non-surjective and/or discontinuous.
A locally convex space is called semi-reflexive if the evaluation map is surjective.

Characterizations of semi-reflexive spaces

If is a Hausdorff locally convex space then the following are equivalent:
  1. is semireflexive;
  2. the weak topology on had the Heine-Borel property.
  3. If linear form on that continuous when has the strong dual topology, then it is continuous when has the weak topology;
  4. is barrelled, where the indicates the Mackey topology on ;
  5. weak the weak topology is quasi-complete.

Sufficient conditions

Every semi-Montel space is semi-reflexive and every Montel space is reflexive.

Properties

If is a Hausdorff locally convex space then the canonical injection from into its bidual is a topological embedding if and only if is infrabarrelled.
The strong dual of a semireflexive space is barrelled.
Every semi-reflexive space is quasi-complete.
Every semi-reflexive normed space is a reflexive Banach space.
The strong dual of a semireflexive space is barrelled.

Reflexive spaces

If is a Hausdorff locally convex space then the following are equivalent:
  1. is reflexive;
  2. is semireflexive and barrelled;
  3. is barrelled and the weak topology on had the Heine-Borel property.
  4. is semireflexive and quasibarrelled.
If is a normed space then the following are equivalent:
  1. is reflexive;
  2. the closed unit ball is compact when has the weak topology.
  3. is a Banach space and is reflexive.

Examples

Every non-reflexive infinite-dimensional Banach space is a distinguished space that is not semi-reflexive.
If is a dense proper vector subspace of a reflexive Banach space then is a normed space that not semi-reflexive but its strong dual space is a reflexive Banach space.
There exists a semi-reflexive countably barrelled space that is not barrelled.