Characterizations of ordered operator spaces

Abstract: We demonstrate new abstract characterizations for unital and non-unital operator spaces. We characterize unital operator spaces in terms of the cone of accretive operators (operators whose real part is positive). Defining the gauge of an operator $T \in B(H)$ to be $|Re(T)_+|$, we demonstrate an abstract characterization of operator spaces up to complete gauge-isometry. Both of these characterizations preserve the structure of the self-adjoint, positive, and accretive operators, as well as the operator norm. We show that an operator space with a given matrix ordering of positive or accretive cones can be represented completely isometrically and completely order isomorphically if and only if each positive cone is normal, in the sense that $x \leq y \leq z$ implies that $|y| \leq \max(|x|,|z|)$ at each matrix level. This is achieved by showing that normal matrix ordered operator spaces are induced by gauges. We show that inducing gauges are not unique in general. Finally, we show that completely positive completely contractive linear maps on non-unital operator spaces extend to any containing operator system if and only if the operator space is induced by a unique gauge.