The Spectral Theorem is a fundamental result in linear algebra and functional analysis that characterizes certain types of linear operators on finite-dimensional inner product spaces. It states that any self-adjoint (or Hermitian in the complex case) matrix can be diagonalized by an orthonormal basis of eigenvectors. In other words, if is a self-adjoint matrix, there exists an orthogonal matrix and a diagonal matrix such that:
where the diagonal entries of are the eigenvalues of . The theorem not only ensures the existence of these eigenvectors but also implies that the eigenvalues are real, which is crucial in many applications such as quantum mechanics and stability analysis. Furthermore, the Spectral Theorem extends to compact self-adjoint operators in infinite-dimensional spaces, emphasizing its significance in various areas of mathematics and physics.
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