Yang-Baxter-Like Matrix Equation

• The Yang-Baxter-like matrix equation is a nonlinear relation in finite-dimensional algebras that generalizes the classical Yang-Baxter equation to single matrix settings.
• Its solution structure is determined by the spectral properties and canonical forms of A, enabling classifications via Jordan block decompositions and rank stratifications.
• These relations cover involutive, singular, and anti-commuting cases, with significant applications in quantum integrability, set-theoretic YBE, and algebraic geometry.

The Yang-Baxter-like matrix equation is a family of nonlinear matrix relations inspired by the representation-theoretic and algebraic structure of the classical Yang-Baxter equation (YBE), but adapted to settings where commutator or intertwining phenomena occur in a single (often finite-dimensional) matrix algebra rather than on tensor products. Of central interest is the equation

$$A X A = X A X,\quad\text{for }A,X\in \mathbb{C}^{n\times n}$$

or variants and generalizations thereof, and particularly the classification of its solution sets under various structural constraints, such as involutive, invertible, singular, or anti-commuting classes.

1. Background and Motivation

The standard YBE, crucial to the algebraic theory of quantum integrability and quantum groups, is traditionally expressed in the language of R-matrices acting on $V\otimes V\otimes V$: $R_{12} R_{13} R_{23} = R_{23} R_{13} R_{12}$ where $R$ is an $\operatorname{End}(V\otimes V)$ operator. In specific representations, or via block-decompositions and index identifications, the YBE reduces in certain cases to a "Yang-Baxter-like" matrix equation of the form $A X A = X A X$ in a single matrix algebra. This realization naturally arises, for instance, when one seeks involutive solutions or studies set-theoretic Yang-Baxter solutions in finite combinatorial or matrix-theoretic contexts, and serves as a crucial simplification in various classification problems and algorithmic constructions (Mukherjee et al., 2022, Smoktunowicz et al., 2020, Kumar et al., 2021).

2. Algebraic and Spectral Structure

General Solution Principles

The structure of the solution set for the matrix equation

$A X A = X A X$

is strongly governed by the spectral and Jordan canonical form of $A$, owing to the conjugation invariance: if $B = P^{-1} A P$, then $X \mapsto P^{-1} X P$ is a bijection between the solution sets for $A$ and $B$ (Mukherjee et al., 2022, Chen et al., 22 Jun 2025). This allows reduction to canonical representatives, most often block-diagonal or Jordan block forms.

Global spectral facts include:

• If $A$ is invertible, then any invertible $X$ that solves the equation is similar to $A$; moreover, the spectra of solutions satisfy $\sigma(X)\subseteq \sigma(A)\cup\{0\}$.
• The solution space is typically stratified according to the rank profile, the minimal polynomial structure, and the similarity class of $A$. In particular, the kernel and image of solutions are $A$-invariant subspaces (Mukherjee et al., 2022).

Explicit classifications have been obtained for

• single Jordan block cases (all solutions are either zero or similar to $A$ when $A$ is invertible; all solutions are singular otherwise),
• sums of two Jordan blocks (block structure and cyclic subspaces control solution families), and
• finite field settings (affine algebraic geometry yields a decomposition into varieties of explicit dimension and cardinality) (Chen et al., 22 Jun 2025).

3. Involutive and Constrained Solution Classes

A notable subcase with deep connections to YBE theory proper is when $A$ is involutive ($A^2=I$) and one seeks involutive solutions ($X^2=I$). In this case, one can simultaneously conjugate $A$ to a canonical diagonal block $D=\operatorname{diag}(I_p,-I_{n-p})$ and reduce classification to explicit block matrix systems (Smoktunowicz et al., 2020):

• The equation for $Y$ having $Y^2=I$ and $D Y D= Y D Y$ yields three main solution families: trivial (the involution itself), "balanced" ($n=2p$) with a free $B\in \operatorname{GL}_p(\mathbb{C})$, and two "asymmetric" block families parametrized by invertible matrices on subblocks determined by the difference of $p$ and $n-p$.
• Nontrivial involutive solutions exist if and only if $A \neq \pm I$, with the solution set being infinite-dimensional in these cases.
• Constructive algorithms (e.g., via spectral decomposition and explicit block assembly) are provided, enabling explicit computation in $O(n^3)$ time for all families (Smoktunowicz et al., 2020).

4. Singular, Projector, and Anti-Commuting Solutions

When $A$ is singular, solution spaces are typically infinite-dimensional and can be expressed in terms of idempotents and projectors commuting with $A$. The central method is to reformulate the quadratic equation as two linear systems (through introducing $B=A X$ and requiring $A X=B$ and $X B=B A$) and then to exploit identities obeyed by projectors with $[A,P]=0$ (Kumar et al., 2021):

• Solution families are given in terms of Moore–Penrose or Drazin inverses and spectral projectors, often using Jordan or Schur block decompositions for stable numerical realization.
• Arbitrary idempotents commuting with $A$ can be used to generate large infinite parameter families.
• For anti-commuting solutions ($A X + X A = 0$), reduction to blockwise Sylvester-type equations and further quadratic constraints leads to a complete blockwise description, depending critically on the zero-eigenvalue structure of $A$. Only those blocks with $\lambda_i+\lambda_j = 0$ can be nonzero, and a secondary quadratic condition restricts possible parameters per block (Abdalrahman et al., 7 Nov 2025).

5. Concrete Example: Classification for Involutive $A$ and $X$

A paradigmatic result (Smoktunowicz et al., 2020):

Let $A\in\mathbb{C}^{n\times n}$ be involutive, $A^2=I$, and $X^2=I$. The equation $A X A = X A X$ is equivalent to: $D Y D = Y D Y,\quad Y^2 = I,\quad X = P Y P^{-1}$ where $A = P D P^{-1}$, $D = \operatorname{diag}(I_p,-I_{n-p})$. The solution set $S(A)$ is the conjugation orbit of $S(D)$, and $S(D)$ consists precisely of:

• The trivial solution $Y=D$,
• For $n=2p$, all $$Y = \begin{pmatrix} -I_p & B \ B^{-1} & I_p \end{pmatrix}$$ with $B\in GL_p(\mathbb{C})$,
• For $p>n-p$ (set $r=n-p$), a family assembled from block matrices (see original for explicit formula),
• For $p<n-p$, an analogous formula with roles of $+1$ and $-1$ blocks exchanged.

Algorithmic solution follows via:

1. Compute the spectral decomposition $A = P D P^{-1}$.
2. For the balanced case ($n=2p$), choose arbitrary invertible $B$ and assemble $Y$ as above.
3. For non-balanced cases, construct appropriate block diagonalizations and off-diagonal connectors using invertible free parameters.

This explicit parameterization covers all involutive solutions and identifies the full algebraic structure of the solution variety.

6. Finite Field and Algebraic-Geometric Perspectives

For $A\in M_2(\mathbb{F}_q)$, the solution set $D_A(\mathbb{F}_q)$ to $X A X = A X A$ decomposes into affine varieties determined by the canonical form of $A$:

• For diagonalizable $A$, $D_A$ is a union of affine lines, planes, and possibly nontrivial curves, with cardinality formulas depending on the vanishing of certain discriminants (Chen et al., 22 Jun 2025).
• For Jordan and companion matrix cases, explicit elimination yields parametrizations of the solution set and point-counts.
• These algebraic–geometric structures generalize to higher $n$ via ideal-theoretic methods, but computational complexity grows rapidly.

7. Connections with Quantum, Set-Theoretic, and Generalized YBE

The matrix equation $A X A = X A X$ serves as a degenerate or coordinate realization of the YBE and appears as a reduction or special case in several contexts:

• Set-theoretic YBE investigations, where involutive and anti-commuting solutions provide building blocks for nondegenerate and involutive maps (Smoktunowicz et al., 2020).
• Lax representations and refactorization problems leading to entwining Yang–Baxter maps and tropical limit soliton dynamics (Dimakis et al., 2020).
• Operator-theoretic generalizations in the theory of associative and cubic Yang–Baxter relations, where quadratic (matrix) equations of the same flavor underpin higher-order algebraic and geometric identities (Sechin et al., 2015, Levin et al., 2015).

These connections underscore the significance of the Yang-Baxter-like matrix equation as a unifying algebraic structure across classical algebra, representation theory, quantum integrability, and combinatorial algebraic geometry.