Abstract
According to a result of Wigner and von Neumann, the dimension of the set \(\mathcal{M}\) of n × n real symmetric matrices with multiple eigenvalues is equal to N −2, where N = n(n+1)/2. This value is determined by counting the number of free parameters in the spectral decomposition of a matrix. We show that the same dimension is obtained if \(\mathcal{M}\) is interpreted as an algebraic variety. Bibliography: 4 titles.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
P. Lax, Linear Algebra, Wiley, New York (1997).
Kh. D. Ikramov, “On the dimension of the variety of symmetric matrices with multiple eigenvalues, ” Zh. Vychisl. Matem. Matem. Fiz., 44, 963–967 (2004).
N. V. Ilyushechkin, “Discriminant of the characteristic polynomial of a normal matrix,” Matem. Zametki, 51, 16–23 (1992).
B. N. Parlett, “The (matrix) discriminant as a determinant,” Linear Algebra Appl., 355, 85–101 (2002).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
__________
Translated from Zapiski Nauchnykh Seminarov POMI, Vol. 323, 2005, pp. 34–46.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Dana, M., Ikramov, K.D. On the codimension of the variety of symmetric matrices with multiple eigenvalues. J Math Sci 137, 4780–4786 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10958-006-0275-7
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10958-006-0275-7