Algebra of block matrices

(i) Inverse of a triangular block matrix:

_
A B
0 D
_
1
=
_
A
1
A
1
BD
1
0 D
1
_
,
_
A 0
C D
_
1
=
_
A
1
0
D
1
CA
1
D
1
_
.
(ii) Triangular decomposition:
_
A B
C D
_
=
_
ABD
1
C B
0 D
__
1 0
D
1
C 1
_
=
_
A 0
C D CA
1
B
__
1 A
1
B
0 1
_
=
_
1 0
CA
1
1
__
A B
0 DCA
1
B
_
=
_
1 BD
1
0 1
__
ABD
1
C 0
C D
_
.
(iii) Combining these decompositions with the formulas (i) for the triangular matrices, one obtains
several equivalent expressions for the inverse of a general block matrix:
_
A B
C D
_
1
=
_
K L
M N
_
,
where
K = (A BD
1
C)
1
= A
1
+A
1
B(D CA
1
B)
1
CA
1
,
L = (A BD
1
C)
1
BD
1
= A
1
B(D CA
1
B)
1
,
M = D
1
C(ABD
1
C)
1
= (D CA
1
B)
1
CA
1
,
N = (D CA
1
B)
1
= D
1
C(ABD
1
C)
1
BD
1
+D
1
.
(iv) Reduction of the determinant of a block matrix:
det
_
A B
C D
_
= det(DADBD
1
C) = det(AD ACA
1
B).
Algebra of energy projectors
Basic properties of the projectors on the subspaces of the Dirac Hamiltonian, corresponding to
positive and negative energy eigenstates.
(i) Denition and orthogonality:

e
k
=
1
2
_
1 +
e

0
( k +m)
_
, where
k
=
_
k
2
+m
2
, e, f = ,

e
k

f
k
=
ef

e
k
, Tr(
e
k

f
q
) = 1 +ef
m
2
+k q

q
.
(ii) Selected properties:
H
k
k +
0
m =

e=
e
k

e
k
,
/ k m
0
=
0

e=
(k
0
e
k
)
e
k
,

e
k

0
=
e
k
,
5

e
k

5
=
e
k
.
NambuGorkov formalism: relativistic case I
(i) Denition of the Nambu doublet:
(x) =
_
(x)

T
(x)
_
.
(ii) Reection symmetry of the fermion propagator:
S =
_
G
+

+
G

_
, where

+
(p) =
0
[

(p)]

0
, G

(p) = [G
+
(p)]
T
.
(iii) Inverse of the matrix propagator: S = (S
1
0
+ )
1
, where
S
0
=
_
G
+
0
0
0 G

0
_
, =
_

_
,
G

=
_
(G

0
)
1
+

_
(G

0
)
1
+

_
1
,

=
_
(G

0
)
1
+

.
NambuGorkov formalism: relativistic case II
(i) Denition of the Nambu doublet:
(x) =
_
(x)

C
(x)
_
.
(ii) Reection symmetry of the fermion propagator:
S =
_
G
+

+
G

_
, where

+
(p) =
0
[

(p)]

0
, G

(p) = C[G
+
(p)]
T
C
1
.
NambuGorkov formalism: nonrelativistic case
(i) Denition of the Nambu doublet:
(x) =
_
(x)

(x)
_
.
(ii) Reection symmetry of the fermion propagator:
S =
_
G
+

+
G

_
, where

+
(p) = [

(p)]

, G

(p) = [G
+
(p)]
T
.
Grassmann integration on the Nambu space
Working with fermions in the Nambu formalism, one often encounters a (functional) integral of
the following general form,
_
dz d z exp
_
1
2
M

_
, (1)
where =
_
z
z
_
and M =
_
A B
C D
_
.
The Grassmann spinors z, z may carry further indices so that A, B, C, D themselves are in
general matrices. Let us recall the formula for the Gaussian Grassmann integral,
_
dz d z exp(zA z) = det A, (2)
up to a possible minus sign depending on the exact denition of the multivariate Grassmann
measure. In view of this expression, one is tempted to conclude that the integral (1) equals

det M, since the size of the matrix M is double the size of A in (2). In other words, the
integration measure in (1) can be written as dz d z = d so that one actually has only half of
the integration variables needed for the Gaussian integral. In the following we will show that
indeed, the integral (1) is equal to

det M, under certain assumptions on the matrix M.

To understand what kind of restrictions may apply to M, let us for a while assume that there
is no mixing, that is, B = C = 0. Now the matrix D is essentially equivalent to A because
zDz = z(D
T
) z. The integral (1) therefore reduces to a Gaussian with the matrix
1
2
(AD
T
).
Note that there is a freedom in the denition of A and D, since shifting A A + and
D D +
T
with an arbitrary matrix does not aect the integrand in (1). However, at the
same time we have

det M =
_
det(AD), so that the claimed result is only reproduced when
D = A
T
. That means, the z
i
z
j
part of the integrand must be split symmetrically between
A and D in order to obtain the desired result.
Let us now proceed to the proof. First, we rewrite the integral (1) as
=
_
dZ exp
_
1
2
ZNZ
_
,
where Z stands for (z, z) and N =
_
B A
D C
_
. Second, we double the number of variables by
writing this as

2
=
_
dZ dY exp
_
1
2
(ZNZ +Y NY )

=
_
dZ dY exp
_
1
2
_
Z Y
_
_
N 0
0 N
__
Z
Y
__
.
Next we perform a unitary transformation in the (Z, Y ) space, generated by the matrix U =
e
i/4

2
_
1 i
i 1
_
. This transforms the block-diagonal matrix in the exponent to U
T
_
N 0
0 N
_
U =
_
0 N
N 0
_
. The desired integral thus becomes

2
=
_
dZ dY exp
_
1
2
(ZNY +Y NZ)

=
_
dZ dY exp
_
1
2
Z(N N
T
)Y

.
This is already a standard Gaussian integral of the form (2). Finally, assuming that the matrix
N is antisymmetric, we recover the desired result
2
= det N. This is equal to det M (up to a
minus sign), since M = N
_
0 1
1 0
_
. Obviously, the necessary condition for this result to hold,
i.e., the anisymmetry of N, is equivalent to the antisymmetry of B and C, and D = A
T
.