Positively convex spaces (Q1273639)

If \(E\) is a regularly ordered normed linear space [cf. \textit{E. B. Davies}, Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 131, 544-555 (1968; Zbl 0159.41503)] with order cone \(C\) and closed unit ball \(O(E)\), then \(\Delta(E):= C\cap O(E)\) is closed under (finite) positively convex combinations. This means that for any \(x_i\in \Delta(E)\), \(1\leq i\leq n\), and \(\alpha_i\geq 0\), \(1\leq i\leq n\), with \(\sum^n_{i=1} \alpha_i= 1\), \(\sum^n_{i=1}\alpha_i x_i\in\Delta(E)\) follows. A finitely positively convex space [cf. \textit{D. Pumplün}, Result. Math. 7, 85-112 (1984; Zbl 0587.46059)] is a natural generalization of these sets \(\Delta(E)\): It consists of a set \(M\) admitting the same operations with the same formal rules, but the operations are not necessarily induced by a vector space. This means that for any \(\alpha_i\geq 0\), \(\sum^n_{i=1} \alpha_i= 1\) and \(x_i\in M\), \(1\leq i\leq n\), a formal sum \(\sum^n_{i=1} \alpha_i x_i\in M\) is defined and that these sums satisfy the usual computational laws of convex combinations. Finitely positively spaces together with affine mapping between them constitute the category \({\mathbf P}{\mathbf C}_{{\mathbf f}{\mathbf i}{\mathbf n}}\). A positively convex space is a set \(M\) obeying the same axioms with respect to countably positively convex combinations, i.e. the operations (positively convex combinations) consist of formal sums \(\sum^\infty_{i=1}\alpha_i x_i\in M\), for any \(x_i\in M\), \(i\in\mathbb{N}\), \(\alpha_i\geq 0\), \(i\in\mathbb{N}\), with \(\sum^\infty_{i=1} \alpha_i= 1\). These, together with countably affine mappings, give rise to the category \({\mathbf P}{\mathbf C}\) of positively convex spaces. Paradigmatic examples of positively convex spaces are the sets \(\Delta(E)\), where \(E\) is a complete ordered normed linear space, also called ``regularly ordered Banach space''. The ordered normed linear spaces together with positive linear contractions form the category \({\mathbf V}{\mathbf e}{\mathbf c}^+_1\), likewise the regularly ordered Banach spaces the category \({\mathbf B}{\mathbf a}{\mathbf n}^+_1\). The \(\Delta(E)\)'s, \(E\in{\mathbf V}{\mathbf e}{\mathbf c}^+_1\) or \(E\in{\mathbf B}{\mathbf a}{\mathbf n}^+_1\), induce functors \(\Delta: {\mathbf V}{\mathbf e}{\mathbf c}^+_1\to {\mathbf P}{\mathbf C}_{{\mathbf f}{\mathbf i}{\mathbf n}}\), \(\Delta: {\mathbf B}{\mathbf a}{\mathbf n}^+_1\to {\mathbf P}{\mathbf C}\). For any \(C\in{\mathbf P}{\mathbf C}_{{\mathbf f}{\mathbf i}{\mathbf n}}\) or \(C\in{\mathbf P}{\mathbf C}\), there is a universal affine mapping \(\sigma_C: C\to \Delta(E)\), where \(E\in{\mathbf V}{\mathbf e}{\mathbf c}^+_1\) or \(E\in{\mathbf B}{\mathbf a}{\mathbf n}^+_1\), respectively [cf. \textit{D. Pumplün}, loc. cit.]. The author gives a new and very natural condition for \(\sigma_C\) to be an embedding. He introduces a canonical semimetric \(d(x,y)\) on any (finitely) positively convex space and proves that \(\sigma_C\) is an embedding if and only if \(d(x,y)\) is a metric. This is a considerable improvement of previously known conditions [\textit{F. Mayer}, ``Positiv konvexe Räume'', Ph. D. thesis, Fernuniversität, Hagen (1993; Zbl 0857.46047) and \textit{A. Wickenhäuser}, ``Positively convex spaces. II'', Seminarberichte, FB Mathematik, 32, 53-105, Fernuniversität, Hagen (1988)].