Kronecker sum 2026-10-05
The Kronecker sum of square matrices combines their Kronecker products with identity matrices. If and , then is an eigenvector with eigenvalue . Tensor-product spatial grids therefore turn separated coordinate Laplacians into a Kronecker sum. Two Hermitian matrices give a Hermitian Kronecker sum, allowing an energy method without computing every eigenvector.
Arrange the interior values into a vector . Represent the five-point Dirichlet Laplacian as a Kronecker sum , where is the tridiagonal matrix with diagonal and adjacent entries one. This Kronecker sum is real symmetric; the real sampled potential has a real diagonal matrix . Thus
The generator is a skew-Hermitian matrix. Consequently
The matrix exponential is a unitary matrix, either by differentiating its product with its adjoint or by unitary diagonalization of a normal matrix. For the two-dimensional discrete L2 norm , this gives
Applying the same equation to a difference proves stability of a numerical method with a mesh-independent constant one. This is norm conservation of a semidiscrete Schrödinger equation. It concerns continuous time after spatial discretization; an arbitrary subsequent time integrator need not preserve this stability.
The printed coordinates do not discretize the stated square. For with interior points in each direction, use , , , and sample there. The printed and unshifted coordinates instead describe a grid on . The matrix proof is valid for either geometry with its corresponding boundary values, so this transcription-independent statement flaw does not alter the stability conclusion.