In mathematics, specifically in order theory and functional analysis, the order topology of an ordered vector space ( X , ≤ ) {\displaystyle (X,\leq )} is the finest locally convex topological vector space (TVS) topology on X {\displaystyle X} for which every order interval is bounded, where an order interval in X {\displaystyle X} is a set of the form [ a , b ] := { z ∈ X : a ≤ z and z ≤ b } {\displaystyle [a,b]:=\left\{z\in X:a\leq z{\text{ and }}z\leq b\right\}} where a {\displaystyle a} and b {\displaystyle b} belong to X . {\displaystyle X.} The order topology is an important topology that is used frequently in the theory of ordered topological vector spaces because the topology stems directly from the algebraic and order theoretic properties of ( X , ≤ ) , {\displaystyle (X,\leq ),} rather than from some topology that X {\displaystyle X} starts out having. This allows for establishing intimate connections between this topology and the algebraic and order theoretic properties of ( X , ≤ ) . {\displaystyle (X,\leq ).} For many ordered topological vector spaces that occur in analysis, their topologies are identical to the order topology.
Definitions The family of all locally convex topologies on X {\displaystyle X} for which every order interval is bounded is non-empty (since it contains the coarsest possible topology on X {\displaystyle X} ) and the order topology is the upper bound of this family. A subset of X {\displaystyle X} is a neighborhood of the origin in the order topology if and only if it is convex and absorbs every order interval in X . {\displaystyle X.} A neighborhood of the origin in the order topology is necessarily an absorbing set because [ x , x ] := { x } {\displaystyle [x,x]:=\{x\}} for all x ∈ X . {\displaystyle x\in X.} For every a ≥ 0 , {\displaystyle a\geq 0,} let X a = ⋃ n = 1 ∞ n [ − a , a ] {\displaystyle X_{a}=\bigcup _{n=1}^{\infty }n[-a,a]} and endow X a {\displaystyle X_{a}} with its order topology (which makes it into a normable space). The set of all X a {\displaystyle X_{a}} 's is directed under inclusion and if X a ⊆ X b {\displaystyle X_{a}\subseteq X_{b}} then the natural inclusion of X a {\displaystyle X_{a}} into X b {\displaystyle X_{b}} is continuous. If X {\displaystyle X} is a regularly ordered vector space over the reals and if H {\displaystyle H} is any subset of the positive cone C {\displaystyle C} of X {\displaystyle X} that is cofinal in C {\displaystyle C} (e.g. H {\displaystyle H} could be C {\displaystyle C} ), then X {\displaystyle X} with its order topology is the inductive limit of { X a : a ≥ 0 } {\displaystyle \left\{X_{a}:a\geq 0\right\}} (where the bonding maps are the natural inclusions). The lattice structure can compensate in part for any lack of an order unit:
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