Let \mu be a
σ-finite measure on a set X, and \Phi: [0, \infty) \to [0, \infty] a
Young function; i.e., a
convex,
lower semicontinuous, and non-trivial function. Non-trivial in the sense that it is neither the zero function x \mapsto 0 nor the convex dual of the zero function :x \mapsto \begin{cases} \,\,\,0 & \text{ if } x = 0, \\ +\infty & \text{ otherwise.}\end{cases} Now let L^\dagger_\Phi be the set of measurable functions f:X\to\R such that the integral :\int_X \Phi(|f|)\, d\mu is finite, where, as usual, functions that agree
almost everywhere are identified. This is not necessarily a
vector space (for example, it might fail to be closed under scalar multiplication). The
Orlicz space, denoted L_\Phi, is the vector space of functions spanned by L^\dagger_\Phi; that is, the smallest linear space containing L^\dagger_\Phi. Formally, :L_{\Phi} = \left\{f \;\bigg\vert \int_X \Phi(k|f|)\, d\mu 0\right\}. There is another Orlicz space, the
small Orlicz space, defined by :M_{\Phi} = \left\{f \;\bigg\vert \int_X \Phi(k|f|)\, d\mu 0 \right\}. In other words, it is the largest linear space contained in L^\dagger_\Phi.
Norm To define a norm on L_\Phi, let \Psi be the complementary Young function to \Phi; i.e., :\Psi(x) = \int_0^x (\Phi')^{-1}(t)\, dt. Note that
Young's inequality for products holds: :ab\le \Phi(a) + \Psi(b). The norm is then given by :\|f\|_\Phi = \sup\left\{\|fg\|_1 \,\bigg\vert \int \Psi(|g|)\, d\mu \le 1\right\}. Furthermore, the space L_\Phi is precisely the space of measurable functions for which this norm is finite. An equivalent norm, called the Luxemburg norm, is defined on L_\Phi by :\|f\|'_\Phi = \inf\left\{k\in (0,\infty)\,\bigg\vert\int_X \Phi(|f|/k)\,d\mu\le 1 \right\}, and likewise L_\Phi(\mu) is the space of all measurable functions for which this norm is finite. The two norms are equivalent in the sense that \| f \|_{\Phi}' \leq \| f \|_{\Phi} \leq 2 \| f \|_{\Phi}' for all measurable f. Note that by the
monotone convergence theorem, if 0 , then :\int_X \Phi(|f|/\|f\|_{\Phi}')\,d\mu\le 1 . == Examples ==