In mathematics, the spectral gap is the difference between the
moduli of the two largest
eigenvalue
In linear algebra, an eigenvector () or characteristic vector of a linear transformation is a nonzero vector that changes at most by a scalar factor when that linear transformation is applied to it. The corresponding eigenvalue, often denot ...
s of a matrix or operator; alternately, it is sometimes taken as the smallest non-zero eigenvalue. Various theorems relate this difference to other properties of the system.
See also
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Cheeger constant (graph theory)
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Cheeger constant (Riemannian geometry)
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Eigengap
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Spectral gap (physics)
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Spectral radius
References
External links
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{{Mathanalysis-stub
Spectral theory