Normal forms for symplectic matrices (Q399391): Difference between revisions

Normal forms for symplectic matrices are constructed using elementary geometrical methods. They are expressed in terms of elementary Jordan matrices and integers with values in \(\{- 1,0,1\}\) related to signatures of quadratic forms naturally associated to the symplectic matrix. They are useful to give new characterisations of Conley-Zehnder indices of general paths of symplectic matrices. The natural interpretation of the signs appearing in the decomposition and the description of the decomposition for matrices with 1 as an eigenvalue are of interest in this description.