Conjugate Transpose - Basic Remarks

Basic Remarks

A square matrix A with entries is called

  • Hermitian or self-adjoint if A = A*, i.e., .
  • skew Hermitian or antihermitian if A = −A*, i.e., .
  • normal if A*A = AA*.
  • unitary if A* = A-1.

Even if A is not square, the two matrices A*A and AA* are both Hermitian and in fact positive semi-definite matrices.

The conjugate transpose "adjoint" matrix A* should not be confused with the adjugate adj(A), which is also sometimes called "adjoint".

Finding the conjugate transpose of a matrix A with real entries reduces to finding the transpose of A, as the conjugate of a real number is the number itself.

Read more about this topic:  Conjugate Transpose

Famous quotes containing the words basic and/or remarks:

    We can’t nourish our children if we don’t nourish ourselves.... Parents who manage to stay married, sane, and connected to each other share one basic characteristic: The ability to protect even small amounts of time together no matter what else is going on in their lives.
    Ron Taffel (20th century)

    There are remarks that sow and remarks that reap.
    Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889–1951)