Schur decomposition of several matrices

Abstract

Schur decompositions and the corresponding Schur forms of a single matrix, a pair of matrices, or a collection of matrices associated with the periodic eigenvalue problem are frequently used and studied. These forms are upper-triangular complex matrices or quasi-upper-triangular real matrices that are equivalent to the original matrices via unitary or, respectively, orthogonal transformations. In general, for theoretical and numerical purposes we often need to reduce, by admissible transformations, a collection of matrices to the Schur form. Unfortunately, such a reduction is not always possible. In this paper we describe all collections of complex (real) matrices that can be reduced to the Schur form by the corresponding unitary (orthogonal) transformations and explain how such a reduction can be done. We prove that this class consists of the collections of matrices associated with pseudoforest graphs. In other words, we describe when the Schur form of a collection of matrices exists and how to find it.