Determination of eigenvectors with Lagrange multipliers

Wooyong Han, Dong Won Jung, Jungil Lee, Chaehyun Yu

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

6 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

We present a method to determine the eigenvectors of an n× n Hermitian matrix by introducing Lagrange undetermined multipliers. In contrast to a usual Lagrange multiplier that is a number, we introduce matrix-valued multipliers with a constraint equation, which make the eigenvalue equation directly solvable. Then, there exists a unique solution for each eigenvalue equation and the eigenvectors are obtained by imposing the constraint limit. This method is in clear contrast to the conventional approach of Gaussian elimination and it will be a good pedagogical example for conceptual understanding for the gauge symmetry just with the knowledge of quantum physics and linear algebra at the undergraduate level.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1018-1022
Number of pages5
JournalJournal of the Korean Physical Society
Volume78
Issue number11
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2021 Jun

Keywords

  • Diagonalization
  • Eigenvalue problem
  • Eigenvector
  • Gauge fixing
  • Hermitian matrix
  • Lagrange multiplier

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Physics and Astronomy(all)

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