In mathematics, a Hermitian matrix (or self-adjoint matrix) is a complex square matrix that is equal to its own conjugate transpose—that is, the element in the i-th row and j-th column is equal to the complex conjugate of the element in the j-th row and i-th column, for all indices i and j:
or in matrix form:
Hermitian matrices can be understood as the complex extension of real symmetric matrices.
If the conjugate transpose of a matrix is denoted by then the Hermitian property can be written concisely as
Hermitian matrices are named after Charles Hermite,[1] who demonstrated in 1855 that matrices of this form share a property with real symmetric matrices of always having real eigenvalues. Other, equivalent notations in common use are although in quantum mechanics, typically means the complex conjugate only, and not the conjugate transpose.
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