Put . It is a symmetric matrix and a positive semidefinite matrix, while is also a positive semidefinite matrix. By the spectral theorem, choose an orthogonal matrix such that
The bounds follow directly from . Define the diagonal matrices
The columns of are mutually orthogonal, since . For each , set . These columns are orthonormal. At a zero , one has ; choose by completing the already prescribed columns to an orthonormal set of columns in . Such a completion exists because . This gives , including the zero columns.
Likewise, the Gram matrix of is . Normalize its nonzero columns and complete at its zero columns in , using . The resulting has orthonormal columns and . Combining the identities gives
This is a form of the cosine-sine decomposition. Completing the zero columns is essential: neither block was assumed to have full column rank.