Complex Hadamard matrices and equiangular tight frames (Q1940342)

According to the abstract this paper describes a new construction of parametric families of complex Hadamard matrices of square orders, and connects them to equiangular tight frames. The results generalize some ideas of \textit{B. G. Bodmann} et al. [Linear Algebra Appl. 430, No. 1, 396--417 (2009; Zbl 1165.42007)] and extend the list of known equiangular tight frames. In particular, a \((36, 21)\)-frame coming from a nontrivial cube root signature matrix is obtained for the first time. The introduction summarizes the basics of frames in complex Hilbert spaces. Notions such as normalized, tight, equiangular, and complex Hadamard matrix are defined here. Moreover, the introduction defines the analysis operator \(V\) of the frame and states a description of its Gram matrix \(VV^*\) in terms of a signature matrix \(Q\) (\(Q=Q^*, Q_{ii}=0, |Q_{ij}|=1\) if \(i\neq j\)) given that the frame is equiangular and tight. The signature matrix \(Q\) is the key for the connection between complex Hadamard matrices and equiangular tight frames. In the second chapter the author establishes a relation between complex Hadamard matrices and signature matrices \(Q\). Based on a characterization of signature matrices \(Q\) by Holmes and Paulsen, in particular the formula \(Q^2 = (n-1)I + \mu Q\), the author relates \(Q\) to a complex Hadamard matrix with constant diagonal by \(H = Q + \lambda(\mu) I\) where \(\lambda\) is a function of \(\mu\) with \(|\mu| \leq 2\). The remainder of the paper discusses two constructions of complex Hadamard matrices with constant diagonal. The first approach is a construction of complex Hadamard matrices of order \(n^2\) with constant diagonal from an arbitrary complex Hadamard matrix of order \(n\) by tensoring. Based on that the author proves the existence of \(p\)-th (\(p\) prime) root signature matrices which correspond to an equiangular frame. This generalizes a result by \textit{B. G. Bodmann} and \textit{H. J. Elwood} [Proc. Am. Math. Soc. 138, No. 12, 4387--4404 (2010; Zbl 1209.42020)]. A second approach to the construction of complex Hadamard matrices with constant diagonal is based on a result by \textit{A. Chan} and \textit{Ch. Godsil} [Combinatorica 30, No. 1, 1--24 (2010; Zbl 1224.05502)] and involves skew Hadamard designs \((4m-1,2m-1,m-1)\). The conclusion is that there are infinitely many equiangular tight frames with parameters \((2k-(-1)^k,k)\) subject to the side condition that skew Hadamard designs exist for every order \(n=4m-1\).