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Spectral gap

Mathematical concept

Wikipedia contributorsAdapted for Fathomly · View authors
1 min read
Source updated March 22, 2026

In mathematics, the spectral gap is the difference between the moduli of the two largest eigenvalues of a matrix or operator; alternately, it is sometimes taken as the smallest non-zero eigenvalue. Various theorems relate this difference to other properties of the system. The spectral gap gets its name from the matrix spectrum, that is, for a matrix, the list of its eigenvalues. It provides insight on diffusion within the graph: corresponding the spectral gap to the smallest non-zero eigenvalue, it is then the mode of the network state that shows the slowest exponential decay over time.

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This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Spectral gap”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.

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