Linear maps on matrices preserving parallel pairs

Abstract: Two (real or complex) $m\times n$ matrices $A$ and $B$ are said to be parallel (resp. triangle equality attaining, or TEA in short) with respect to the spectral norm $|\cdot|$ if $|A+ \mu B| = |A| + |B|$ for some scalar $\mu$ with $|\mu|=1$ (resp. $\mu=1$). We study linear maps $T$ on $m\times n$ matrices preserving parallel (resp. TEA) pairs, i.e., $T(A)$ and $T(B)$ are parallel (resp. TEA) whenever $A$ and $B$ are parallel (resp. TEA). It is shown that when $m,n \ge 2$ and $(m,n) \ne (2,2)$, a nonzero linear map $T$ preserving TEA pairs if and only if it is a positive multiple of a linear isometry, namely, $T$ has the form $$(1) \quad A \mapsto \gamma UAV \quad \quad \text{or} \quad \quad (2) \quad A \mapsto \gamma UA^{t} V \quad (\text{in this case}, m = n),$$ for a positive number $\gamma$, and unitary (or real orthogonal) matrices $U$ and $V$ of appropriate sizes. Linear maps preserving parallel pairs are those carrying form (1), (2), or the form $$ (3) \ A \mapsto f(A) Z$$ for a linear functional $f$ and a fixed matrix $Z$. The case when $(m,n) = (2,2)$ is more complicated. There are linear maps of $2\times 2$ matrices preserving parallel pairs or TEA pairs neither of the form (1), (2) nor (3) above. Complete characterization of such maps is given with some intricate computation and techniques in matrix groups.