EPFL Logo
fr|en
Login
Concept

Logarithm of a matrix

In mathematics, a logarithm of a matrix is another matrix such that the matrix exponential of the latter matrix equals the original matrix. It is thus a generalization of the scalar logarithm and in some sense an inverse function of the matrix exponential. Not all matrices have a logarithm and those matrices that do have a logarithm may have more than one logarithm. The study of logarithms of matrices leads to Lie theory since when a matrix has a logarithm then it is in an element of a Lie group and the logarithm is the corresponding element of the vector space of the Lie algebra. The exponential of a matrix A is defined by Given a matrix B, another matrix A is said to be a matrix logarithm of B if eA = B. Because the exponential function is not bijective for complex numbers (e.g. ), numbers can have multiple complex logarithms, and as a consequence of this, some matrices may have more than one logarithm, as explained below. If B is sufficiently close to the identity matrix, then a logarithm of B may be computed by means of the following power series: Specifically, if , then the preceding series converges and . The rotations in the plane give a simple example. A rotation of angle α around the origin is represented by the 2×2-matrix For any integer n, the matrix is a logarithm of A. ⇔ where ... qed. Thus, the matrix A has infinitely many logarithms. This corresponds to the fact that the rotation angle is only determined up to multiples of 2π. In the language of Lie theory, the rotation matrices A are elements of the Lie group SO(2). The corresponding logarithms B are elements of the Lie algebra so(2), which consists of all skew-symmetric matrices. The matrix is a generator of the Lie algebra so(2). The question of whether a matrix has a logarithm has the easiest answer when considered in the complex setting. A complex matrix has a logarithm if and only if it is invertible. The logarithm is not unique, but if a matrix has no negative real eigenvalues, then there is a unique logarithm that has eigenvalues all lying in the strip .

Official source
About this result
This page is automatically generated and may contain information that is not correct, complete, up-to-date, or relevant to your search query. The same applies to every other page on this website. Please make sure to verify the information with EPFL's official sources.
Related courses (16)
MATH-111(e): Linear Algebra
L'objectif du cours est d'introduire les notions de base de l'algèbre linéaire et ses applications.
MATH-453: Computational linear algebra
This course provides an overview of advanced techniques for solving large-scale linear algebra problems, as they typically arise in applications. A central goal of this course is to give the ability t
MATH-429: Representation Theory II - Lie groups and algebras
This is a standard course on Lie groups, Lie algebras and their representations.
Show more
Related publications (56)
Show more
Related concepts (9)
Matrix (mathematics)
In mathematics, a matrix (plural matrices) is a rectangular array or table of numbers, symbols, or expressions, arranged in rows and columns, which is used to represent a mathematical object or a property of such an object. For example, is a matrix with two rows and three columns. This is often referred to as a "two by three matrix", a " matrix", or a matrix of dimension . Without further specifications, matrices represent linear maps, and allow explicit computations in linear algebra.
Analytic function of a matrix
In mathematics, every analytic function can be used for defining a matrix function that maps square matrices with complex entries to square matrices of the same size. This is used for defining the exponential of a matrix, which is involved in the closed-form solution of systems of linear differential equations. There are several techniques for lifting a real function to a square matrix function such that interesting properties are maintained. All of the following techniques yield the same matrix function, but the domains on which the function is defined may differ.
Polar decomposition
In mathematics, the polar decomposition of a square real or complex matrix is a factorization of the form , where is a unitary matrix and is a positive semi-definite Hermitian matrix ( is an orthogonal matrix and is a positive semi-definite symmetric matrix in the real case), both square and of the same size. Intuitively, if a real matrix is interpreted as a linear transformation of -dimensional space , the polar decomposition separates it into a rotation or reflection of , and a scaling of the space along a set of orthogonal axes.
Show more

Copyright © 2025 EPFL, all rights reserved

Graph Chatbot

Chat with Graph Search

Ask any question about EPFL courses, lectures, exercises, research, news, etc. or try the example questions below.

DISCLAIMER: The Graph Chatbot is not programmed to provide explicit or categorical answers to your questions. Rather, it transforms your questions into API requests that are distributed across the various IT services officially administered by EPFL. Its purpose is solely to collect and recommend relevant references to content that you can explore to help you answer your questions.