Proof of Comparison with the Zero Matrix in the Positive Semidefinite Ordering
lemmalem:psd-ordering-zero-matrix-2026aStep 1 (Two entrywise identities). Two real matrices are equal exactly when all their entries agree, so it suffices to compare entries. Let and be indices. By the definition of the difference of real matrices, applied twice,
By claim 4 of Additive Cancellation and Elementary Additive Identities in a Field the right-hand side equals , and by claim 6 of that lemma this in turn equals , which is the entry . Since and were arbitrary,
Similarly by claim 4 of that lemma, so
Step 2 (Claim 1). Both and lie in , so The Positive Semidefinite Ordering Compared by Differences applies to them and shows that holds if and only if is positive semidefinite. By Step 1 that matrix is . Applying The Positive Semidefinite Ordering Compared by Differences to and instead, is positive semidefinite if and only if . Combining the two equivalences gives claim 1.
Step 3 (Claim 2). By The Positive Semidefinite Ordering Compared by Differences applied to and , the relation holds if and only if is positive semidefinite, and by Step 1 that matrix is . Applying The Positive Semidefinite Ordering Compared by Differences to and instead, is positive semidefinite if and only if . Combining the two equivalences gives claim 2.
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Prerequisites
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