How real is your matrix? (Q884424)

The author investigates measures of nonreality of a complex matrix. It is well understood that complex Hermitian matrices behave much like real symmetric matrices. In this vein, the author studies different notions of near reality, i.e., reality of a complex matrix with respect to conjugation and to circular conjugation. One aim of the paper is to find economical ways for matrix-vector multiplication when a complex matrix is real in the above special sense. This leads to the study of additive and multiplicative complex matrix splittings, such as into more variated real and imaginary parts matrices for complex matrices than is standard, and to products of circulants and diagonal matrices, as well as to expressing some complex matrices as the product of two Hermitian matrices. Approximation algorithms and theoretical nearness results to reality conclude the paper.