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For a bounded linear operator $T:H\to H$, the spectrum iswhile the point spectrum is the set of eigenvalues, equivalently the $\lambda$ for which $T-\lambda I$ is not injective.

A compact operator maps the unit ball to a relatively compact set. A self-adjoint operator satisfies $T=T^{\ast }$, or $⟨Tx,y⟩=⟨x,Ty⟩$ for all $x,y\in H$. A finite-rank operator has finite-dimensional image.

Compactness gives a stronger statement than the one requested. Since $T(B_H)$ has compact closure, finitely many open balls of radius $\delta$ cover it. Choose their centres from $T(B_H)$ and let $E$ be their finite-dimensional linear span. ThenFor the orthogonal projection $P_E$, best approximation in a Hilbert space givesIn particular this holds for every vector $e_n$ in the given orthonormal basis.

The operator $P_{E}T$ has image in $E$ and hence has finite rank, whileThus every compact operator is an operator norm limit of finite-rank operators. This is the finite-rank approximation theorem for compact operators on a Hilbert space.

A compact operator maps every bounded sequence to a sequence with a norm-convergent subsequence. A Hilbertian basis is a complete orthonormal sequence.

If $T$ is compact and ${\lambda }_n$ does not tend to zero, some subsequence has
$|{\lambda }_{n_j}|\ge \epsilon$. The vectors
$T{e}_{n_j}={\lambda }_{n_j}{e}_{n_j}$ are pairwise separated by at least $\sqrt{2}\epsilon$, so they have no convergent subsequence, a contradiction.

Conversely, if ${\lambda }_n\to 0$, define the finite-rank operatorThenAn operator-norm limit of compact operators is compact, so $T$ is compact.

If $A$ has finite rank, the image of its unit ball is bounded in the finite-dimensional space $\mathrm{ran}A$. The closure of a bounded set in a finite-dimensional normed space is compact. Hence every bounded finite-rank operator is a compact operator.

Let $Q_n=P_n^{\ast }{P}_n$ be the orthogonal projection ontoThen $Q_n\to I$ strongly. Strong convergence is uniform on every compact subset: if $K$ is compact, cover it by finitely many small balls and use $\Vert I-Q_n\Vert \le 1$ at their centers. Since the closure of $A$ applied to the unit ball is compact,The adjoint of a compact operator is compact, so the same argument for $A^{\ast }$ givesSince $A_n=Q_{n}A{Q}_n$,ThereforeThis is the finite-section approximation of a compact operator.