Order unit


An order unit is an element of an ordered vector space which can be used to bound all elements from above. In this way the order unit generalizes the unit element in the reals.
According to H. H. Schaefer, "most of the ordered vector spaces occurring in analysis do not have order units."

Definition

For the ordering cone in the vector space, the element is an order unit if for every there exists a such that .

Equivalent definition

The order units of an ordering cone are those elements in the algebraic interior of, i.e. given by.

Examples

Let be the real numbers and, then the unit element is an order unit.
Let and, then the unit element is an order unit.
Each interior point of the positive cone of an ordered TVS is an order unit.

Properties

Each order unit of an ordered TVS is interior to the positive cone for the order topology.
If is a preordered vector space over the reals with order unit u, then the map is a sublinear functional.

Order unit norm

Suppose is an ordered vector space over the reals with order unit u whose order is Archimedean and let U = .
Then the Minkowski functional pU of U is a norm called the order unit norm.
It satisfies pU = 1 and the closed unit ball determined by pU is equal to (i.e. = \.