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A Hermitian matrix is a square complex matrix that is equal to its own conjugate transpose. This means that the element in the i-th row and j-th column is equal to the complex conjugate of the element in the j-th row and i-th column, for all indices i and j. Hermitian matrices can be understood as the complex extension of real symmetric matrices and have important properties such as always having real eigenvalues.

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51 views

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A Hermitian matrix is a square complex matrix that is equal to its own conjugate transpose. This means that the element in the i-th row and j-th column is equal to the complex conjugate of the element in the j-th row and i-th column, for all indices i and j. Hermitian matrices can be understood as the complex extension of real symmetric matrices and have important properties such as always having real eigenvalues.

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Hermitian matrix

In mathematics, a Hermitian matrix (or self-adjoint matrix) is a complex square


matrix that is equal to its own conjugate transpose—that is, the element in the i-th
row and j-th column is equal to the complex conjugate of the element in the j-th row
and i-th column, for all indices i and j:

or in matrix form:

Hermitian matrices can be understood as the complex extension of real symmetric


matrices.

If the conjugate transpose of a matrix is denoted by , then the Hermitian


property can be written concisely as

Hermitian matrices are named after Charles Hermite, who demonstrated in 1855 that
matrices of this form share a property with real symmetric matrices of always having

real eigenvalues. Other, equivalent notations in common use are , although note

that in quantum mechanics, typically means the complex conjugate only, and not
the conjugate transpose.
 The entries on the main diagonal (top left to bottom right) of any Hermitian matrix are real.

Proof: By definition of the Hermitian matrix


so for i = j the above follows.

Note that only complex-valued entries on the main diagonal are forbidden; Hermitian
matricies can have complex-valued entries in their off-diagonal elements, as long as
diagonally-opposite entries are complex conjugates.

 A matrix that has only real entries is Hermitian if and only if it is symmetric. A real and symmetric
matrix is simply a special case of a Hermitian matrix.

Proof: by definition. Thus Hij = Hji (matrix symmetry) if and only if (Hij is real).

 Every Hermitian matrix is a normal matrix. That is to say, AAH = AHA.

Proof: A = AH, so AAH = AA = AHA.

 The finite-dimensional spectral theoremsays that any Hermitian matrix can be diagonalized by
a unitary matrix, and that the resulting diagonal matrix has only real entries. This implies that
all eigenvalues of a Hermitian matrix A with dimension n are real, and that A has n linearly
independent eigenvectors. Moreover, a Hermitian matrix has orthogonal eigenvectors for distinct
eigenvalues. Even if there are degenerate eigenvalues, it is always possible to find an orthogonal
basis of ℂn consisting of neigenvectors of A.

 The sum of any two Hermitian matrices is Hermitian.

Proof: as claimed.
 The inverse of an invertible Hermitian matrix is Hermitian as well.

 The product of two Hermitian matrices Aand B is Hermitian if and only if AB = BA.

Proof: Note that Thus if and only if .


Thus An is Hermitian if A is Hermitian and nis an integer.

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