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This is the Habilitation Thesis manuscript presented at Besan\c{c}on on January 5, focusing on Matrix Analysis, Matrix Inequalities and Matrix Decompositions. There are also some topics in (Hilbert space) Operator Theory. The text should be of interest for a large audience of researchers and students in pure and applied mathematics. We may divide it into five parts: 1) Chapter 1 is an introductory chapter, some results from the period 1999-2010 are given, and a few conjectures are proposed. 2) Chapters 2-4 deal with matrix inequalities, Chapter 2 is concerned with norm inequalities and logmajorization and Chapters 3-4 with functional calculus and a unitary orbit technique that I started to develop in 2003. 3) Chapter 5 is a time-break in infinite dimensional Hilbert space operators, the essential numerical range plays a key role. 4) Chapters 6-8 establish several decompositions for partitioned matrices, especially for positive block matrices. Some norm inequalities involving the numerical range are derived. 5) Chapter 9 may be of special interest for students : a proof of the Spectral Theorem for bounded operators is derived from the matrix case., Comment: 144 pages. This is the Habilitation Thesis manuscript presented at Besan\c{c}on on January 5. Special thanks are due to my colleagues and friends kindly acting as rewievers, Frank Hansen, Hideki Kosaki, and Fedor Sukochev

We establish a sharp inequality between the blocks of positive partitioned matrices and conjecture a triangle type inequality for contractions: Given three contactions A,B,C, we conjecture that the constant c=3/4 is sharp in the triangle inequality |A+B+C| < cI + |A| +|B| + |C|., Comment: Final version, to appear in LAA, 13 pages

We study an elementary inequality supporting the classical Hermite-Hadamard inequality in the matrix setting. This leads to a number of interesting matrix inequalities such new Schatten p-norm estimates and new majorization, Comment: To appear in Canadian Math. Bulletin

We prove some eigenvalue inequalities for positive semidefinite matrices partitioned into four blocks. The inradius of the numerical range of the off-diagonal block contributes to these estimates. Some related norm inequalities are given and a conjecture is proposed., Comment: To appear in International J. Math

We establish a Pythagorean theorem for the absolute values of the blocks of a partitioned matrix. This leads to a series of remarkable operator inequalities.

For a positive linear map F and a normal matrix N, we show that |F(N)| is bounded by some simple linear combinations in the unitary orbit of F(|N|). Several elegant sharp inequalities are derived, especially for the Schur product.

We extend some inequalities for normal matrices and positive linear maps related to the Russo-Dye theorem. The results cover the case of some positive linear maps on a von Neumann algebra mapping any nonzero operator to an unbounded operator.

A refinement of a trace inequality of McCarthy establishing the uniform convexity of the Schatten $p$-classes for p>2 is proved

We obtain several norm and eigenvalue inequalities for positive matrices partitioned into four blocks. The results involve the numerical range of the off-diagonal block X, especially the distance from 0 to W(X).

We revisit a classical result, the Russo-Dye Theorem, stating that every positive linear map attains its norm at the identity.

We study various convex functions on $R^n$ associated with positive definite matrices. This yiels some exotic Holder matrix inequalities., Comment: 6 pages

Several matrix/operator inequalies are given. Most of them are unexpected extensions of the Araki Log-majorization theorem, obtained thanks to a new log-majorization for positive linear maps and normal operators (Theorem 2.9). The main idea and technical tool is a two variables log-convex norm functional (Theorem 1.2)., Comment: Final version, to appear in International J. Math: Two corollaries on Schur products have been added at the end of Section 2

We employ the pinching theorem, ensuring that some operators A admit any sequence of contractions as an operator diagonal of A, to deduce/improve two recent theorems of Kennedy-Skoufranis and Loreaux-Weiss for conditional expectations onto a masa in the algebra of operators on a Hilbert space. We also get a few results for sums in a unitary orbit.

As the reversed version of usual symmetric norms, we introduce the notion of symmetric anti-norms $\|\cdot\|_!$ defined on the positive operators affiliated with a finite von Neumann algebra with a finite normal trace. Related to symmetric anti-norms, we develop majorization theory and superadditivity inequalities of the form $\|\psi(A+B)\|_!\ge\|\psi(A)\|_!+\|\psi(B)\|_!$ for a wide class of functions $\psi$., Comment: 27 pages, largely revised from the previous version, to appear in Publ. Res. Inst. Math. Sci

Let H be a positive semidefinite matrix partitioned into Hermitian blocks. Then, up to a direct sum operation, H is the average of matrices isometrically congruent to its partial trace. A few corollaries are given, related to important inequalities in quantum information theory such as the Nielsen-Kempe separability criterion.

Positive semidefinite matrices partitioned into a small number of Hermitian blocks have a remarkable property. Such a matrix may be written in a simple way from the sum of its diagonal blocks

Let $H$ be a positive semi-definite matrix partitioned in $\beta\times \beta$ Hermitian blocks, $H=[A_{s,t}]$, $1\le s,t,\le \beta$. Then, for all symmetric norms, {equation*} \| H \| \le \| \sum_{s=1}^{\beta} A_{s,s} \|. {equation*} The proof uses a nice decomposition for positive matrices and unitary congruences with the generators of a Clifford algebra. A few corollaries are given, in particular the partial trace operation increases norms of separable states on a real Hilbert space, leading to a conjecture for usual complex Hilbert spaces., Comment: A drastic major revision will be done, as some of the alleged result is previously known

This short note, in part of expository nature, points out several new or recent consequences of a quite nice decomposition for positive semi-definite matrices.

This short but self-contained survey presents a number of elegant matrix/operator inequalities for general convex or concave functions, obtained with a unitary orbit technique. Jensen, sub or super-additivity type inequalities are considered. Some of them are substitutes to classical inequalities (Choi, Davis, Hansen-Pedersen) for operator convex or concave functions. Various trace, norm and determinantal inequalities are derived. Combined with an interesting decomposition for positive semi-definite matrices, several results for partitioned matrices are also obtained.

Jensen inequalities for positive linear maps of Choi and Hansen-Pedersen type are established for a large class of operator/matrix means. These results are also extensions of the Minkowski determinantal inequality. To this end we develop the study of anti-norms, a notion parallel to the symmetric norms in matrix analysis, including functionals like Schatten q-norms for a parameter q<1 and the Minkowski functional. An interpolation theorem for the Schur multiplication is given in this setting. Two sections have been added to the previous version, devoted to means of severable variables and anti-norms.

Some subadditivity results involving symmetric (unitarily invariant) norms are obtained. For instance, if $g(t)=\sum_{k=0}^m a_kt^k$ is a polynomial of degree $m$ with non-negative coefficients, then, for all positive operators $A,\,B$ and all symmetric norms, $\|g(A+B)\|^{1/m} \le \|g(A)\|^{1/m} + \|g(B)\|^{1/m}$. To give parallel superadditivity results, we investigate anti-norms, a class of functionals containing the Schatten $q$-norms for $q\in(0,1]$ and $q<0$. The results are extensions of the Minkowski determinantal inequality. A few estimates for block-matrices are derived. For instance, let $f:[0,\infty) \to [0,\infty)$ be concave and $p\in(1,\infty)$. If $f^p(t)$ is superadditive, then $Tr f(A) \ge (\sum_{i=1}^m f^p(a_{ii}))^{1/p}$ for all positive $m\times m$ matrix $A=[a_{ij}]$. Furthermore, for the normalized trace $\tau$, we consider functions $\phi(t)$ and $f(t)$ for which the functional $A\mapsto\phi\circ\tau\circ f(A)$ is convex or concave, and obtain a simple analytic criterion., Comment: 16 pages, to apppear in IJM

Some inequalities for positive linear maps on matrix algebras are given, especially asymmetric extensions of Kadison's inequality and several operator versions of Chebyshev's inequality. We also discuss well-known results around the matrix geometric mean and connect it with complex interpolation., Comment: To appear in LAA

Well-known subadditivity results for positive operators (of Brown-Kosaki and Rotfeld/Ando-Zhan types) are extended to Hermitian and normal ones. Applications to Cartesian decomposition and block-matrices are given., Comment: to appear in PAMS

Several subadditivity results and conjectures are given for matrices (or operators), block-matrices, concave functions and norms., Comment: To appear in International Journal of Mathematics

Subaddivity type matrix inequalities for concave funcions and symetric norms are given., Comment: to appear in JOT

Let f be a non-negative concave function on the positive half-line. Let A and B be two positive matrices. Then, for all symmetric norms, || f(A+B) || is less than || f(A)+f(B) ||. When f is operator concave, this was proved by Ando and Zhan. Our method is simpler. Several related results are presented., Comment: accepted in LAA

Matrix versions of some basic convexity inequalities are given. Further results on the same topic are proved in the recent papers on arxiv: 1. Hermitian operators and convex functions, 2. A concavity inequality for symmetric norms, 3. Eigenvalue inequalities for convex and log-convex functions (with Jaspal Singh AUJLA).

Eigenvalues inequalities involving (log) convex/concav functions and Hermitian matrices, positive unital maps are considered. Simple proofs of Bhatia-Kittaneh inequality and Naimark dilation theorem are given., Comment: submitted in LAA, special issue in honour of Roger Horn

Some natural inequalities related to rearrangement in matrix products can also be regarded as extensions of classical inequalities for sequences or integrals. In particular, we show matrix versions of Chebyshev and Kantorovich type inequalities. The matrix approach may also provide simplified proofs and new results for classical inequalities. For instance, we show a link between Cassel's inequality and the basic rearrangement inequality for sequences of Hardy-Littlewood-Polya, and we state a reverse inequality to the Hardy-Littlewood-Polya inequality in which matrix technics are essential., Comment: to appear in Linear Algebra Appl. (2006)

Several inequalities for eigenvalues involving convex combinations and compressions are given. These inequalities are matrix version of the basic convexity inequality f((a+b)/2) < (f(a)+f(b))/2., Comment: to appear in JIPAM vol. 6

Some rearrangement inequalities for symmetric norms on matrices are given as well as related results for operator convex functions., Comment: to appear in MIA

We review some convexity inequalities for Hermitian matrices an add one more to the list., Comment: accepted in LAA

There exist operators $A$ such that : for any sequence of contractions $\{A_n\}$, there is a total sequence of mutually orthogonal projections $\{E_n\}$ such that $\Sigma E_nAE_n=\bigoplus A_n$., Comment: 11 pages

(1) Let $A$ be an operator on a space ${\cal H}$ of even finite dimension. Then for some decomposition ${\cal H}={\cal F}\oplus{\cal F}^{\perp}$, the compressions of $A$ onto ${\cal F}$ and ${\cal F}^{\perp}$ are unitarily equivalent. (2) Let $\{A_j\}_{j=0}^n$ be a family of strictly positive operators on a space ${\cal H}$. Then, for some integer $k$, we can dilate each $A_j$ into a positive operator $B_j$ on $\oplus^k{\cal H}$ in such a way that: (i) The operator diagonal of $B_j$ consists of a repetition of $A_j$. (ii) There exist a positive operator $B$ on $\oplus^k{\cal H}$ and an increasing function $f_j : (0,\infty)\longrightarrow(0,\infty)$ such that $B_j=f_j(B)$., Comment: 12 pages