Linear \(k\)-power/\(k\)-potent preservers between matrix spaces (Q2576226)

A matrix \(A\) is called \textit{potent} if \(A^k=A\) for some positive integer \(k\). Suppose \(\mathbb{F}\) is a field with characteristic different from two. The main theorem of the paper shows that linear mappings between \({\mathcal M}_n(\mathbb F)\) and \({\mathcal M}_m(\mathbb F)\), which (i) map idempotent matrices into potent ones, and (ii) preserve orthogonality among idempotent matrices, are Jordan homomorphisms. As such, they are given via tensor product in the following way: \[ X\mapsto R (X\otimes G_1)\oplus (X^t\otimes G_2)\oplus 0)R^{-1} \] for some invertible matrix \(R\in{\mathcal M}_m(\mathbb F)\), and some potent matrices \(G_1,G_2\). This is then used to derive the form of linear mappings that preserve \(k\)-potent matrices and the form of linear mappings with the property \(\Phi(A^k)=\Phi(A)^k\), under some additional constraints on the field \(\mathbb F\). Both problems are considered on \({\mathcal M}_n(\mathbb F)\) as well as on \({\mathcal S}_n(\mathbb F)\), the set of all symmetric matrices.