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In mathematics, specifically in functional analysis, each linear operator on a Hilbert space has a corresponding adjoint operator. Adjoints of operators generalize conjugate transposes of square matrices to (possibly) infinite-dimensional situations. If one thinks of operators on a Hilbert space as "generalized complex numbers", then the adjoint of an operator plays the role of the complex conjugate of a complex number.

The adjoint of an operator A is also sometimes called the Hermitian adjoint (after Charles Hermite) of A and is denoted by A^* or A^† (the latter especially when used in conjunction with the bra-ket notation).

Contents 1 Definition for bounded operators 2 Properties 3 Hermitian operators 4 Adjoints of unbounded operators 5 Other adjoints 6 See also

Suppose H is a Hilbert space, with inner product . Consider a continuous linear operator A : H → H (this is the same as a bounded operator).

Using the Riesz representation theorem, one can show that there exists a unique continuous linear operator A* : H → H with the following property:

This operator A* is the adjoint of A.

Immediate properties:

1. A** = A
2. If A is invertible, so is A*. Then, (A*)⁻¹ = (A⁻¹)*
3. (A + B )* = A* + B*
4. (λA)* = λ* A*, where λ* denotes the complex conjugate of the complex number λ
5. (AB)* = B* A*

If we define the operator norm of A by

then

.

Moreover,

The set of bounded linear operators on a Hilbert space H together with the adjoint operation and the operator norm form the prototype of a C* algebra.

The relationship between the image of A and the kernel of its adjoint is given by:

Proof of the first equation:

The second equation follows from the first by taking the orthogonal space on both sides. Note that in general, the image need not be closed, but the kernel of a continuous operator always is.

A bounded operator A : H → H is called Hermitian or self-adjoint if

A = A*

which is equivalent to

In some sense, these operators play the role of the real numbers (being equal to their own "complex conjugate"). They serve as the model of real-valued observables in quantum mechanics. See the article on self-adjoint operators for a full treatment.

Many operators of importance are not continuous and are only defined on a subspace of a Hilbert space. In this situation, one may still define an adjoint, as is explained in the article on self-adjoint operators.

The equation

is formally similar to the defining properties of pairs of adjoint functors in category theory, and this is where adjoint functors got their name.

• Mathematical concepts
  • Linear algebra
  • Inner product
  • Hilbert space
  • Hermitian operator
  • Norm
  • Operator norm
• Physical application
  • Dual space
  • Bra-ket notation
  • Quantum mechanics
  • observable