Linear maps preserving $\ell_p$-norm parallel vectors

Abstract: Two vectors $x, y$ in a normed vector space are parallel if there is a scalar $\mu$ with $|\mu| = 1$ such that $|x+\mu y| = |x| + |y|$; they form a triangle equality attaining (TEA) pair if $|x+y| = |x| + |y|$. In this paper, we characterize linear maps on $F^n=R^n$ or $C^n$, equipped with the $\ell_p$-norm for $p \in [1, \infty]$, preserving parallel pairs or preserving TEA pairs. Indeed, any linear map will preserve parallel pairs and TEA pairs when $1< p <\infty$. For the $\ell_1$-norm, TEA preservers form a semigroup of matrices in which each row has at most one nonzero entries; adding rank one matrices to this semigroup will be the semigroup of parallel preserves. For the $\ell_\infty$-norm, a nonzero TEA preserver, or a parallel preserver of rank greater than one, is always a multiple of an $\ell_\infty$-norm isometry, except when $F^n = R^2$. We also have a characterization for the exceptional case. The results are extended to linear maps of the infinite dimensional spaces $\ell_1(\Lambda)$, $c_0(\Lambda)$ and $\ell_\infty(\Lambda)$.