Additive rank-one preserving surjections on symmetric matrix spaces (Q1863576)

An additive preserver is an additive operator acting on matrix spaces that leave certain objects invariant. \textit{M. Omladic} and \textit{P. Semrl} [Linear Algebra Appl. 182, 239-256 (1993; Zbl 0803.47026)], \textit{J. Bell} and \textit{A. R. Sourour} [Linear Algebra Appl. 312, 13-33 (2000; Zbl 0962.15002)0962.15002] characterized additive rank-one preserving surjections over complex matrices, respectively, on upper triangular matrices over any field. In the paper under review the authors characterize additive rank-one preserving surjections on symmetric matrix spaces over a field of characteristic neither 2 nor 3. By means of this result the authors investigate the invertibility preservers, the determinant preservers and characteristic polynomial preservers obtaining characterizations. The authors conclude the paper by presenting examples that show that the surjection assumption is essential.