A functional representation approach to vector lattice covers for spaces of compact operators

For ordered normed vector spaces $X, Y$, we consider the space $\mathcal{L}(X,Y)$ of bounded linear operators and characterize when its cone of positive operators has non-empty interior. When this is satisfied, we give a functional representation of the closure $\mathcal{C}(X,Y)$ of the finite rank operators in $\mathcal{L}(X,Y)$. This space is particularly interesting since it coincides in many cases with the space of compact operators from $X$ to $Y$. Our functional representation has very good order properties in the sense that it is a so-called vector lattice cover of $\mathcal{C}(X,Y)$. This can be used to characterize disjointness of operators in $\mathcal{C}(X,Y)$ and to determine which operators have a modulus in $\mathcal{C}(X,Y)$. We demonstrate how our results can be applied to a variety of concrete spaces.