Transposes, L-Eigenvalues and Invariants of Third Order Tensors

Third order tensors have wide applications in mechanics, physics and engineering. The most famous and useful third order tensor is the piezoelectric tensor, which plays a key role in the piezoelectric effect, first discovered by Curie brothers. On the other hand, the Levi-Civita tensor is famous in tensor calculus. In this paper, we study third order tensors and (third order) hypermatrices systematically, by regarding a third order tensor as a linear operator which transforms a second order tensor into a first order tensor, or a first order tensor into a second order tensor. For a third order tensor, we define its transpose, kernel tensor and L-eigenvalues. Here, "L" is named after Levi-Civita. The transpose of a third order tensor is uniquely defined. In particular, the transpose of the piezoelectric tensor is the inverse piezoelectric tensor (the electrostriction tensor). The kernel tensor of a third order tensor is a second order positive semi-definite symmetric tensor, which is the product of that third order tensor and its transpose. We define L-eigenvalues, singular values, C-eigenvalues and Z-eigenvalues for a third order tensor. They are all invariants of that third order tensor. For a third order partially symmetric tensor, we give its eigenvector decomposition. The piezoelectric tensor, the inverse piezoelectric tensor, and third order symmetric tensors are third order partially symmetric tensors. We make a conjecture a third order symmetric tensor has seven independent invariants. We raise the questions on how may independent invariants a third order tensor, a third order partially symmetric tensor and a third order cyclically symmetric tensor may have respectively.