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Proceed by induction on $\dim V$. The zero-dimensional case has the empty orthonormal basis. In positive dimension, the fundamental theorem of algebra gives a root of the characteristic polynomial, hence a unit eigenvector $e$ of $\alpha$, say with eigenvalue $\lambda$. Part (ii) makes it an eigenvector of ${\alpha }^{\ast }$ as well. Thus the line spanned by $e$ and its orthogonal complement are invariant under both operators by the introductory adjoint argument.

On $\{e{\}}^{\perp }$, the restriction of ${\alpha }^{\ast }$ is the adjoint of the restriction of $\alpha$, and the restrictions still commute. The restricted linear operator is therefore normal. By induction it has an orthonormal basis of eigenvectors. Adjoining $e$ proves an orthonormal eigenbasis exists for $V$, establishing the finite-dimensional spectral theorem by construction.

For the final deduction, use this orthonormal basis $e_j$ and write $\alpha e_j={\lambda }_j{e}_j$. DefineThe real nonnegative diagonal entries make $\beta$ a Hermitian operator, and the modulus-one diagonal entries make $\gamma$ a unitary operator. Both are diagonal in the same orthonormal basis, so they commute and $\beta \gamma e_j={\lambda }_j{e}_j$ even when ${\lambda }_j=0$. This proves the required factorization without assuming invertibility.

Conversely, if $\alpha =\beta \gamma$ with ${\beta }^{\ast }=\beta$, ${\gamma }^{\ast }\gamma =\gamma {\gamma }^{\ast }=I$, and $\beta \gamma =\gamma \beta$, then ${\alpha }^{\ast }={\gamma }^{\ast }\beta$ andThus $\alpha$ is normal. Normality is equivalent to a commuting Hermitian–unitary factorization, with the Hermitian factor even selectable nonnegative. This is the polar decomposition with a unitary extension on the kernel.

Every bounded operator on a Hilbert space has a polar decomposition $T=U|T|$, where $|T|=(T^{\ast }T{)}^{1/2}$ and $U$ is a partial isometry with $\ker U=\ker T$. On $\mathrm{im}|T|$, it is defined by $U(|T|x)=Tx$.

This is the bounded-operator case of polar decomposition.

Every invertible real matrix has the polar decompositionwhere $P$ is symmetric positive definite and $R$ is orthogonal.

This is the invertible real-matrix case of polar decomposition.