Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2016 / iii / Paper 106 / 5 / ii / Solution

The bidual range condition implies both weak compactness and the stronger continuity of $T^{\ast }$. First assume $T^{\ast \ast }(X^{\ast \ast })\subseteq J_{Y}Y$. The Banach-Alaoglu theorem makes $B_{X^{\ast \ast }}$ weak-star compact, and $T^{\ast \ast }$ is weak-star continuous. Hence its image is compact for the weak-star topology in $Y^{\ast \ast }$. Because it lies in $J_{Y}Y$, it corresponds to a weakly compact subset $C\subseteq Y$ under $J_Y^{-1}$.

The identity $T^{\ast \ast }{J}_X=J_{Y}T$ gives $T(B_X)\subseteq C$. A weakly compact set in a Hausdorff space is closed for the weak topology, so $C$ is also norm-closed and contains the norm closure of $T(B_X)$. That closure is a convex set closed in the norm topology, hence weakly closed by the Mazur theorem. It is therefore a weakly closed subset of the weakly compact $C$, and is a weakly compact set. This proves $(ii)⟹(i)$.

For $(ii)⟹(iii)$, fix $F\in X^{\ast \ast }$. By the range assumption there is $y_F\in Y$ with $T^{\ast \ast }F=J_Y{y}_F$. For every $y^{\ast }\in Y^{\ast }$,The right side is a defining weak-star continuous evaluation on $Y^{\ast }$. Since the weak topology on $X^{\ast }$ is determined by all $F\in X^{\ast \ast }$, every scalar coordinate of $T^{\ast }$ for that topology is weak-star continuous. Therefore