Linear operators that preserve pairs of matrices which satisfy extreme rank properties Original Research Article

A pair of m×n matrices (A,B) is called rank-sum-maximal if rank(A+B)=rank(A)+rank(B), and rank-sum-minimal if rank(A+B)=rank(A)−rank(B). We characterize the linear operators that preserve the set of rank-sum-minimal matrix pairs, and the linear operators that preserve the set of rank-sum-maximal matrix pairs over any field with at least min(m,n)+2 elements and of characteristic not 2.