Common invariant subspace and commuting matrices (Q1940098)

Let \(K\) be a perfect field (i.e., every irreducible polynomial over \(K\) has only simple roots in the algebraic closure \(\bar K\) of \(K\)). For an \(n\times n\) matrix \(M\) over \(K\) let \(\sigma(M)\) denote the set of eigenvalues of \(M\) in \(\bar K\). Two \(n\times n\) matrices \(A, B\) over \(K\) are said to be simultaneously triangularizable (ST) over \(K\) if there is a matrix \(P\) such that \(P^{-1}AP\) and \(P^{-1}BP\) are both upper triangular. The main results of the paper are: (i) If \(A\) and \(B\) are two \(n\times n\) matrices over \(K\) and \(A\) has \(n\) distinct and explicitly known eigenvalues in an extension field \(L\) of \(K\), the author gives an algorithm deciding whether or not \(A\) and \(B\) are ST over \(L\), and (ii) If \(A\) and \(B\) are two \(n\times n\) matrices over \(K\) with a common invariant eigenvector subspace of dimension \(k\) over \(L\), and if the characteristic polynomial of \(A\) is irreducible over \(K\), the author derives several sufficient conditions for \(AB = BA\). The final section solves a certain matrix equation using these results.