On metric characterizations of the Radon-Nikodým and related properties of Banach spaces

Abstract: We find a class of metric structures which do not admit bilipschitz embeddings into Banach spaces with the Radon-Nikod\'ym property. Our proof relies on Chatterji's (1968) martingale characterization of the RNP and does not use the Cheeger's (1999) metric differentiation theory. The class includes the infinite diamond and both Laakso (2000) spaces. We also show that for each of these structures there is a non-RNP Banach space which does not admit its bilipschitz embedding. We prove that a dual Banach space does not have the RNP if and only if it admits a bilipschitz embedding of the infinite diamond. The paper also contains related characterizations of reflexivity and the infinite tree property.