On the norm of a projection onto the space of compact operators
Let X and Y be Banach spaces and let 𝓐(X,Y) be a closed subspace of 𝓛(X,Y), the Banach space of bounded linear operators from X to Y, containing the subspace 𝒦(X,Y) of compact operators. We prove that if Y has the metric compact approximation property and a certain geometric property M*(a,B,c), where a,c ≥ 0 and B is a compact set of scalars (Kalton's property (M*) = M*(1, {-1}, 1)), and if 𝓐(X,Y) ≠ 𝒦(X,Y), then there is no projection from 𝓐(X,Y) onto 𝒦(X,Y) with norm less than max|B| + c....