A note on positive bilinear maps (Q6202292)

Positive maps and completely positive maps are useful tools for the classification of \(C^*\)-algebras. \textit{V.~I. Paulsen} and \textit{R.~R. Smith} [J. Funct. Anal. 73, 258--276 (1987; Zbl 0644.46037)] showed that completely bounded bilinear maps are in one-to-one correspondence with completely bounded linear maps. It is natural to ask whether this natural identification carries over between positive bilinear maps and positive linear maps. In the present paper, the authors show that this is not the case. They show that there is no correspondence between completely positive maps and completely positive bilinear maps. This in turn shows that there are bilinear completely positive maps which are not bilinear completely bounded. The authors also construct examples of positive bilinear maps that are not 2-positive, and therefore are not completely positive bilinear maps.