Similar operator topologies on the space of positive contractions

Abstract: In this article, we study the similarity of the Polish operator topologies $\texttt{WOT}$, $\texttt{SOT}$, $\texttt{SOT}\mbox{${}$}$ and $\texttt{SOT}\mbox{$^{}$}$ on the set of the positive contractions on $\ell_p$ with $p > 1$. Using the notion of norming vector for a positive operator, we prove that these topologies are similar on $\mathcal{P}_1(\ell_2)$, that is, they have the same dense sets in $\mathcal{P}_1(\ell_2)$. In particular, these topologies will share the same comeager sets in $\mathcal{P}_1(\ell_2)$. We then apply these results to the study of typical properties of positive contractions on $\ell_p$-spaces in the Baire category sense. In particular, we prove that a typical positive contraction $T \in (\mathcal{P}_1(\ell_2), \texttt{SOT})$ has no eigenvalue. This stands in strong contrast to a result of Eisner and M\'atrai, stating that the point spectrum of a typical contraction $T \in (\mathcal{B}_1(\ell_2), \texttt{SOT})$ contains the whole unit disk. As a consequence of our results, we obtain that a typical positive contraction $T \in (\mathcal{P}_1(\ell_2), \texttt{WOT})$ (resp. $T \in (\mathcal{P}_1(\ell_2), \texttt{SOT}\mbox{${*}$})$) has no eigenvalue.