We introduce higher order spreading models associated to a Banach space X. Their definition is based on ℱ-sequences ${\left(x_s\right)}_{s\in ℱ}$ with ℱ a regular thin family and on plegma families. We show that the higher order spreading models of a Banach space X form an increasing transfinite hierarchy ${\left({ℳ}_{\xi }\left(X\right)\right)}_{\xi <\omega ₁}$. Each ${ℳ}_{\xi }\left(X\right)$ contains all spreading models generated by ℱ-sequences ${\left(x_s\right)}_{s\in ℱ}$ with order of ℱ equal to ξ. We also study the fundamental properties of this hierarchy.

Let us denote by C(α) the classical Banach space C(K) when K is the interval of ordinals [1,α] endowed with the order topology. In the present paper, we give an answer to a 1960 Bessaga and Pełczyński question by providing tight bounds for the Banach-Mazur distance between C(ω) and any other C(K) space which is isomorphic to it. More precisely, we obtain lower bounds L(n,k) and upper bounds U(n,k) on d(C(ω),C(ωⁿk)) such that U(n,k) - L(n,k) < 2 for all 1 ≤ n, k < ω.

Let X be an infinite dimensional separable Banach space. There exists a hypercyclic operator on X which is equal to the identity operator on an infinite dimensional closed subspace of X.