May 20, 2016, Math 334

Alex Wang

Lecture 24: Properties of Self-Adjoint and Normal Operators

Remark 0.1. Final will be cumulative.

Self-Adjoint Operators

Lemma 1.1. Suppose V is a finite dimensional inner product space over C and T L(V ). Then T = 0
v V : hT v, vi = 0.
Proof. () Immediate.
() Assume that v V : hT v, vi = 0. Consider u, w V .

0 = hT (u + w), u + wi
= hT u, ui + hT u, wi + hT w, ui + hT w, wi
= hT u, wi + hT w, ui
Since V is over C, we can replace w by iw,
0 = hT u, iwi + hT iw, ui
= i hT u, wi + i hT w, ui
= i hT u, wi + i hT w, ui
0 = hT u, wi + hT w, ui
Putting the two identities together, hT w, ui = 0 for all u, w V .
Letting u = T w, then w : hT w, T wi = 0. As the inner product of T w with itself is 0 if and only if T w = 0,
we see that T w = 0 for all w V and T = 0.
Remark 1.2. V is over C in this above lemma. Otherwise it may not be true, as an example consider
V = R2 , T (a, b) = (b, a), then v V : hT v, vi 0.
We have a real version of this lemma.
Lemma 1.3. Suppose V is a finite dimensional inner product space over R, suppose T L(V ) is self-adjoint,
i.e. T = T . Then T = 0 v V : hT v, vi = 0.
Proof. Same as above.
Theorem 1.4 (Criterion for Self-Adjoint Operator). Suppose V is a finite-dimensional inner product space
over C, T L(V ). T is self-adjoint v V : hT v, vi R.
Proof. T is self-adjoint T = T T T = 0 v V : h(T T )v, vi = 0 v V : hT v, vi
hT v, vi = 0 v V : hT v, vi hv, T vi = 0 v V : hT v, vi = hv, T vi = hT v, vi.

Normal Operator

Suppose V finite dimensional inner product space over F.

Definition 2.1. T L(V ) is called a normal operator if it commutes with its adjoint, i.e. T T = T T .
Remark 2.2. T self-adjoint = T is normal.
Theorem 2.3 (Criterion for Normal Operator). Suppose V is a finite-dimensional inner product space over
F, T L(V ). T is normal v V : kT vk = kT vk.
Proof.
2

kT vk = hT v, T vi
= hT T v, vi
2

kT vk = hT v, T vi
= hT T v, vi
This follows as hT v, wi = hv, T wi.
Then v V : kT vk = kT vk hT T v, vi = hT T v, vi h(T T T T )v, vi = 0.
We note that (T T T T ) is self adjoint, and so we have from the lemma above, T T T T = 0
T T = T T T is normal.

Properties of Normal Operators

Theorem 3.1.
If T L(V ) is normal and p P(F) polynomial over F, then p(T ) is also normal.
Proof. This follows as P (T ) = P (T ).
In particular, if T is normal, then T I is normal.
Theorem 3.2. Suppose T L(V ) is normal and v V is an eigenvector of T with , then v V is an

eigenvector of T with .
Proof. v eigenvector with ,
0 = k(T I)vk
= k(T I) vk



= (T I)v

(T I)v
=0

T v = v

Theorem 3.3. Suppose v, w are both eigenvectors of a normal operator T with distinct eigenvalues , ,
i.e. T v = v, T w = w, and 6= . Then v, w are orthogonal.

Proof.
hT v, wi = hv, T wi
hv, wi = hv, wi
then as 6= , hv, wi = 0.
Theorem 3.4 (Complex Spectral Theorem). Suppose V is over C, then the following are equivalent:
1. T is normal
2. V has an orthonormal basis e1 , . . . , en such that M(T ) is diagonal.