Adjoint eigenvector identity for a normal matrix Created 2026-10-06 Updated 2026-10-07
If a normal matrix satisfies , then . Indeed, is normal and . Since , also . This identity proves orthogonality of distinct eigenspaces and gives spectral restrictions for Hermitian matrices, skew-Hermitian matrices and unitary matrices.
In a finite-dimensional short exact sequence of representations of a complex semisimple Lie algebra, the generalized zero eigenspace of the Casimir operator maps onto the trivial quotient. All its irreducible composition factors have zero Casimir eigenvalue, so they are trivial. The action is therefore strictly upper triangular and has solvable image; because a semisimple Lie algebra is a perfect Lie algebra, that image is zero. Every lift in this generalized zero eigenspace is invariant, giving a split short exact sequence.
If and , then . Therefore each eigenspace of is invariant under . The vector may be zero; invariance does not require it to be a nonzero eigenvector. This observation is the starting point for simultaneous diagonalization.
In a unit square with prescribed conductive boundary temperatures and impermeable boundaries, the stream function convention gives linear equations , , with on all sides. The velocity equation follows by taking the vertical-plane curl of Darcy law, and the temperature equation by linearizing the heat equation about . Unlike a laterally unbounded Darcy layer, the conducting side boundaries produce a two-dimensional real marginal eigenspace at .
Davis-Kahan theorem 2026-10-06
The Davis-Kahan theorem bounds the change of an invariant eigenspace of a symmetric matrix in terms of a matrix perturbation and an appropriate spectral gap. The rank-one eigenprojector perturbation bound below depends only on the unperturbed gap. Yu, Wang and Samworth's formulation gives population-gap bounds in greater generality.
If preserves a nondegenerate bilinear form that is alternating and satisfies on a finite-dimensional vector space over a field of characteristic different from two, then
The two eigenspaces are orthogonal for , since . Each restricted form is nondegenerate: a vector annihilating its own eigenspace also annihilates the other and hence all of . Both dimensions are even, say and . Consequently as an integer obtained from the eigenspace dimensions. Over the real numbers this gives the congruence .
For a finite-dimensional complex Lie algebra representation of a nilpotent Lie algebra , a generalized weight space is the simultaneous generalized eigenspace displayed above, where is a linear functional. Every occurring vanishes on the derived algebra of . Ordinary weight vectors satisfy the same equations without the powers.
Nondegenerate energy eigenvalue Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-24
An energy eigenvalue is nondegenerate when its eigenspace is one-dimensional. Its normalized eigenstate is then unique up to a complex phase.
Orthogonal diagonalization of a real symmetric matrix Created 2026-10-06 Updated 2026-10-07
A real symmetric matrix has real eigenvalues, orthogonal eigenspaces for distinct eigenvalues, and an orthonormal basis of eigenvectors. From diagonalizability, apply the Gram-Schmidt process within each eigenspace; all its linear combinations stay in that eigenspace. This gives with an orthogonal matrix and real diagonal .
Parity operator Created 2026-10-05 Updated 2026-10-06
The parity operator acts on a spatial wavefunction by and satisfies . For a Hamiltonian operator with an even potential and parity-invariant domain, . A nondegenerate energy eigenvalue has a one-dimensional eigenspace, so its eigenfunction is an eigenvector of with eigenvalue or .