Can we find / express all matrices so that ${\bf P}^2 = {\bf P+I}$?

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Can we find/express all matrices, so that: $${\bf P}^2={\bf P+I}$$

Own work:

For the eigenvalues must then hold:

$$\lambda^2-\lambda-1=0$$ In other words : $$\lambda_1 = \frac{1-\sqrt{5}}2\\\lambda_2 = \frac{1+\sqrt{5}}2$$

So as long as we construct a matrix with any combination of such eigenvalues, we shall be fine.

$${\bf P =SDS}^{-1},\\ {\bf D} = \text{diag}(\text{AnyCombinationOf}\{\lambda_1,\lambda_2\})$$ for any matrix $\bf S$. For my experiments this does seem to give numerically reasonable results for lots of such generated $\bf P$ of sizes $2-6$. These numerical experiments do however not disprove that such matrices $\bf P$ could exist which do not fit this description.


Does this description or representation catch all possible such matrices, or do we miss some? How to prove?

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Yes, every such matrix will fit that description. In particular, if $P^2 - P - I = 0$, then the minimal polynomial of $P$ must divide $x^2 - x - 1 = (x - \lambda_1)(x - \lambda_2)$. So, the minimal polynomial of $P$ has distinct (i.e. non-repeating) roots. It follows that $P$ is indeed diagonalizable.

The only tricky fact here is that a matrix will be diagonalizable if and only if its minimal polynomial has non-repeating roots. For a reference on that, confer chapter 3 of Horn and Johnson's Matrix Analysis.

For a more interesting proof, you can show that any vector $x$ can be decomposed into $$ x = \frac{1}{\sqrt{5}}[(\lambda_2I - P)x - (\lambda_1 I - P)x]. $$ Argue that $(\lambda_1I - P)x, (\lambda_2 I - P)x$ are necessarily eigenvectors of $P$.