Odd Degree Polynomials on Real Banach Spaces

A classical result of Birch claims that for given k, n integers, n-odd there exists some N = N(k, n) such that for an arbitrary n-homogeneous polynomial P on , there exists a linear subspace of dimension at least k, where the restriction of P is identically zero (we say that Y is a null space for P). Given n > 1 odd, and arbitrary real separable Banach space X (or more generally a space with w*-separable dual X*), we construct an n-homogeneous polynomial P with the property that for every point 0 ≠ x ∈ X there exists some k ∈ such that every null space containing x has dimension at most k. In particular, P has no infinite dimensional null space. For a given n odd and a cardinal τ , we obtain a cardinal N = N(τ, n) = expⁿ⁺¹τ such that every n-homogeneous polynomial on a real Banach space X of density N has a null space of density τ . Some of the work on this paper was done while the first author was a visitor to the Departamento de Análisis Matemático of the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, to which great thanks are given. The research of the second author was supported by grants: Institutional Research Plan AV0Z10190503, A100190502, GA ČR 201/04/0090.