On the centralizer of the centralizer of a matrix (Q1355241): Difference between revisions

For \(S,T\subset M_n(F)\) (where \(M_n(F)\) is the algebra of all \(n\times n\) matrices over an arbitrary field \(F\)) let \({\mathcal C}_T(S)= \{B\in T: AB=BA\) for all \(A\in S\}\). For each \(A\in M_n(F)\), it is well-known that \({\mathcal C}_{M_n(F)}({\mathcal C}_{M_n(F)}(A))= F[A]\), the algebra of polynomials in \(A\) over \(F\). It is shown that \({\mathcal C}_{M_n(F)}({\mathcal C}_{GL(n,F)}(A))= F[A]\), when \(|F|>2\). When \(|F|=2\), \({\mathcal C}_{M_n(F)}({\mathcal C}_{GL(n,F)}(A))= F[A]\) unless \(A\) has both 0 and 1 as eigenvalues and the elementary divisors of greatest degree corresponding to 0 and 1 are not repeated in the list of elementary divisors. In this exceptional case \({\mathcal C}_{M_n(F)}({\mathcal C}_{GL(n,F)}(A))= F[A]\oplus R\), where \(R\) is an explicitly described two-dimensional subspace of \(M_n(F)\). \({\mathcal C}_{M_n(F)}({\mathcal C}_{GL(n,F)}(A))\) is also studied.