A normal matrix is a square matrix that commutes with its conjugate
transpose, i.e.,
where
is the commutator and
denotes the conjugate
transpose. For example, the matrix
is a normal matrix, but is not a Hermitian matrix.
A matrix can be tested to see if it is normal in the Wolfram
Language using NormalMatrixQ[m].
Normal matrices arise, for example, from a normal equation.
The normal matrices are the matrices which are unitarily diagonalizable, i.e.,
is a normal matrix iff there exists a unitary
matrix
such that
is a diagonal matrix. All Hermitian
matrices are normal but have real eigenvalues,
whereas a general normal matrix has no such restriction on its eigenvalues.
All normal matrices are diagonalizable,
but not all diagonalizable matrices are
normal.
The following table gives the number of normal square matrices with entries restricted to the listed values, for orders , 2, ....