Associating vectors in $\CC^n$ with rank 2 projections in $\RR^{2n}$: with applications

TL;DR

This paper establishes a natural association between vectors in complex space and rank 2 projections in real space, enabling transfer of properties and solutions for open problems in phase retrieval, fusion frames, and mutually unbiased bases.

Contribution

It introduces a novel correspondence between complex vectors and real rank 2 projections, solving open problems and extending concepts like phase retrieval and fusion frames to real spaces.

Findings

Complex vectors correspond to rank 2 projections in real space.

Solutions to open problems in phase retrieval and fusion frames are provided.

Analogues of mutually unbiased bases and equiangular frames are established in real space.

Abstract

We will see that vectors in $\CC^n$ have natural analogs as rank 2 projections in $\RR^{2n}$ and that this association transfers many vector properties into properties of rank two projections on $\RR^{2n}$. We believe that this association will answer many open problems in $\CC^n$ where the corresponding problem in $\RR^n$ has already been answered - and vice versa. As a application, we will see that phase retrieval (respectively, phase retrieval by projections) in $\CC^n$ transfers to a variation of phase retrieval by rank 2 projections (respectively, phase retrieval by projections) on $\RR^{2n}$. As a consequence, we will answer the open problem: Give the complex version of Edidin's Theorem \cite{E} which classifies when projections do phase retrieval in $\RR^n$. As another application we answer a longstanding open problem concerning fusion frames by showing that fusion frames in $\CC^n$ associate with fusion frames in $\RR^{2n}$ with twice the dimension. As another application, we will show that a family of mutually unbiased bases in $\CC^n$ has a natural analog as a family of mutually unbiased rank 2 projections in $\RR^{2n}$. The importance here is that there are very few real mutually unbiased bases but now there are unlimited numbers of real mutually unbiased rank 2 projections to be used in their place. As another application, we will give a variaton of Edidin's theorem which gives a surprising classification of norm retrieval. Finally, we will show that equiangular and biangular frames in $\CC^n$ have an analog as equiangular and biangular rank 2 projections in $\RR^{2n}$.