Adjoining Commutes with Inverting
From ProofWiki
Theorem
Let $H$ be a Hilbert space.
Let $A \in B \left({H, K}\right)$ be a bounded linear operator.
Let $A^{-1} \in B \left({K, H}\right)$ be an inverse for $A$.
Then the adjoint of $A$, $A^*$, is invertible.
Furthermore, $\left({A^*}\right)^{-1} = \left({A^{-1}}\right)^*$.
Proof
By definition of inverse, one has $AA^{-1} = I_K$, where $I_K$ is the identity operator on $K$.
Now observe from Adjoint of Composition that:
- $I_K = I_K^* = \left({AA^{-1}}\right)^* = \left({A^{-1}}\right)^*A^*$.
Similarly, one has:
- $I_H = I_H^* = \left({A^{-1}A}\right)^* = A^*\left({A^{-1}}\right)^*$
Hence, by definition of inverse, $\left({A^*}\right)^{-1} = \left({A^{-1}}\right)^*$.
This also means that $A^*$ is invertible.
$\blacksquare$
Sources
- John B. Conway: A Course in Functional Analysis (1990)... (previous)... (next) $II.2.6 (d)$