Products
  • Wolfram|One

    The definitive Wolfram Language and notebook experience

  • Mathematica

    The original technical computing environment

  • Notebook Assistant + LLM Kit

    All-in-one AI assistance for your Wolfram experience

  • Compute Services
  • System Modeler
  • Finance Platform
  • Wolfram|Alpha Notebook Edition
  • Application Server
  • Enterprise Private Cloud
  • Wolfram Engine
  • Wolfram Player
  • Wolfram Cloud App
  • Wolfram Player App

More mobile apps

Core Technologies of Wolfram Products

  • Wolfram Language
  • Computable Data
  • Wolfram Notebooks
  • AI & Linguistic Understanding

Deployment Options

  • Wolfram Cloud
  • wolframscript
  • Wolfram Engine Community Edition
  • Wolfram LLM API
  • WSTPServer
  • Wolfram|Alpha APIs

From the Community

  • Function Repository
  • Community Paclet Repository
  • Example Repository
  • Neural Net Repository
  • Prompt Repository
  • Wolfram Demonstrations
  • Data Repository
  • Group & Organizational Licensing
  • All Products
Consulting & Solutions

We deliver solutions for the AI era—combining symbolic computation, data-driven insights and deep technical expertise

  • Data & Computational Intelligence
  • Model-Based Design
  • Algorithm Development
  • Wolfram|Alpha for Business
  • Blockchain Technology
  • Education Technology
  • Quantum Computation

Wolfram Consulting

Wolfram Solutions

  • Data Science
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Biosciences
  • Healthcare Intelligence
  • Sustainable Energy
  • Control Systems
  • Enterprise Wolfram|Alpha
  • Blockchain Labs

More Wolfram Solutions

Wolfram Solutions For Education

  • Research Universities
  • Colleges & Teaching Universities
  • Junior & Community Colleges
  • High Schools
  • Educational Technology
  • Computer-Based Math

More Solutions for Education

  • Contact Us
Learning & Support

Get Started

  • Wolfram Language Introduction
  • Fast Intro for Programmers
  • Fast Intro for Math Students
  • Wolfram Language Documentation

More Learning

  • Highlighted Core Areas
  • Demonstrations
  • YouTube
  • Daily Study Groups
  • Wolfram Schools and Programs
  • Books

Grow Your Skills

  • Wolfram U

    Courses in computing, science, life and more

  • Community

    Learn, solve problems and share ideas.

  • Blog

    News, views and insights from Wolfram

  • Resources for

    Software Developers

Tech Support

  • Contact Us
  • Support FAQs
  • Support FAQs
  • Contact Us
Company
  • About Wolfram
  • Career Center
  • All Sites & Resources
  • Connect & Follow
  • Contact Us

Work with Us

  • Student Ambassador Initiative
  • Wolfram for Startups
  • Student Opportunities
  • Jobs Using Wolfram Language

Educational Programs for Adults

  • Summer School
  • Winter School

Educational Programs for Youth

  • Middle School Camp
  • High School Research Program
  • Computational Adventures

Read

  • Stephen Wolfram's Writings
  • Wolfram Blog
  • Wolfram Tech | Books
  • Wolfram Media
  • Complex Systems

Educational Resources

  • Wolfram MathWorld
  • Wolfram in STEM/STEAM
  • Wolfram Challenges
  • Wolfram Problem Generator

Wolfram Initiatives

  • Wolfram Science
  • Wolfram Foundation
  • History of Mathematics Project

Events

  • Stephen Wolfram Livestreams
  • Online & In-Person Events
  • Contact Us
  • Connect & Follow
Wolfram|Alpha
  • Your Account
  • User Portal
  • Wolfram Cloud
  • Products
    • Wolfram|One
    • Mathematica
    • Notebook Assistant + LLM Kit
    • Compute Services
    • System Modeler
    • Finance Platform
    • Wolfram|Alpha Notebook Edition
    • Application Server
    • Enterprise Private Cloud
    • Wolfram Engine
    • Wolfram Player
    • Wolfram Cloud App
    • Wolfram Player App

    More mobile apps

    • Core Technologies
      • Wolfram Language
      • Computable Data
      • Wolfram Notebooks
      • AI & Linguistic Understanding
    • Deployment Options
      • Wolfram Cloud
      • wolframscript
      • Wolfram Engine Community Edition
      • Wolfram LLM API
      • WSTPServer
      • Wolfram|Alpha APIs
    • From the Community
      • Function Repository
      • Community Paclet Repository
      • Example Repository
      • Neural Net Repository
      • Prompt Repository
      • Wolfram Demonstrations
      • Data Repository
    • Group & Organizational Licensing
    • All Products
  • Consulting & Solutions

    We deliver solutions for the AI era—combining symbolic computation, data-driven insights and deep technical expertise

    WolframConsulting.com

    Wolfram Solutions

    • Data Science
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Biosciences
    • Healthcare Intelligence
    • Sustainable Energy
    • Control Systems
    • Enterprise Wolfram|Alpha
    • Blockchain Labs

    More Wolfram Solutions

    Wolfram Solutions For Education

    • Research Universities
    • Colleges & Teaching Universities
    • Junior & Community Colleges
    • High Schools
    • Educational Technology
    • Computer-Based Math

    More Solutions for Education

    • Contact Us
  • Learning & Support

    Get Started

    • Wolfram Language Introduction
    • Fast Intro for Programmers
    • Fast Intro for Math Students
    • Wolfram Language Documentation

    Grow Your Skills

    • Wolfram U

      Courses in computing, science, life and more

    • Community

      Learn, solve problems and share ideas.

    • Blog

      News, views and insights from Wolfram

    • Resources for

      Software Developers
    • Tech Support
      • Contact Us
      • Support FAQs
    • More Learning
      • Highlighted Core Areas
      • Demonstrations
      • YouTube
      • Daily Study Groups
      • Wolfram Schools and Programs
      • Books
    • Support FAQs
    • Contact Us
  • Company
    • About Wolfram
    • Career Center
    • All Sites & Resources
    • Connect & Follow
    • Contact Us

    Work with Us

    • Student Ambassador Initiative
    • Wolfram for Startups
    • Student Opportunities
    • Jobs Using Wolfram Language

    Educational Programs for Adults

    • Summer School
    • Winter School

    Educational Programs for Youth

    • Middle School Camp
    • High School Research Program
    • Computational Adventures

    Read

    • Stephen Wolfram's Writings
    • Wolfram Blog
    • Wolfram Tech | Books
    • Wolfram Media
    • Complex Systems
    • Educational Resources
      • Wolfram MathWorld
      • Wolfram in STEM/STEAM
      • Wolfram Challenges
      • Wolfram Problem Generator
    • Wolfram Initiatives
      • Wolfram Science
      • Wolfram Foundation
      • History of Mathematics Project
    • Events
      • Stephen Wolfram Livestreams
      • Online & In-Person Events
    • Contact Us
    • Connect & Follow
  • Wolfram|Alpha
  • Wolfram Cloud
  • Your Account
  • User Portal
Wolfram Language & System Documentation Center
CircularOrthogonalMatrixDistribution
  • See Also
    • CircularUnitaryMatrixDistribution
    • CircularSymplecticMatrixDistribution
    • CircularRealMatrixDistribution
    • CircularQuaternionMatrixDistribution
    • MatrixPropertyDistribution
  • Related Guides
    • Matrix Distributions
    • See Also
      • CircularUnitaryMatrixDistribution
      • CircularSymplecticMatrixDistribution
      • CircularRealMatrixDistribution
      • CircularQuaternionMatrixDistribution
      • MatrixPropertyDistribution
    • Related Guides
      • Matrix Distributions

CircularOrthogonalMatrixDistribution[n]

represents a circular orthogonal matrix distribution with matrix dimensions {n,n}.

Details
Details and Options Details and Options
Background & Context
Examples  
Basic Examples  
Scope  
Applications  
Properties & Relations  
Possible Issues  
See Also
Related Guides
History
Cite this Page
BUILT-IN SYMBOL
  • See Also
    • CircularUnitaryMatrixDistribution
    • CircularSymplecticMatrixDistribution
    • CircularRealMatrixDistribution
    • CircularQuaternionMatrixDistribution
    • MatrixPropertyDistribution
  • Related Guides
    • Matrix Distributions
    • See Also
      • CircularUnitaryMatrixDistribution
      • CircularSymplecticMatrixDistribution
      • CircularRealMatrixDistribution
      • CircularQuaternionMatrixDistribution
      • MatrixPropertyDistribution
    • Related Guides
      • Matrix Distributions

CircularOrthogonalMatrixDistribution

CircularOrthogonalMatrixDistribution[n]

represents a circular orthogonal matrix distribution with matrix dimensions {n,n}.

Details

  • CircularOrthogonalMatrixDistribution is also known as circular orthogonal ensemble, or COE.
  • CircularOrthogonalMatrixDistribution represents a uniform distribution over the symmetric unitary square matrices of dimension n, also known as the Haar measure restricted on the symmetric subset of unitary group .
  • The dimension parameter n can be any positive integer.
  • CircularOrthogonalMatrixDistribution can be used with such functions as MatrixPropertyDistribution and RandomVariate.

Background & Context

  • CircularOrthogonalMatrixDistribution[n], also referred to as the circular orthogonal ensemble (COE), represents a statistical distribution over the unitary and symmetric complex matrices, namely complex square matrices satisfying both and , where denotes the transpose of , the conjugate transpose of and is the identity matrix. Here, the parameter n is called the dimension parameter of the distribution and may be any positive integer. Despite the name "circular orthogonal matrix distribution", while matrices belonging to this distribution are unitary (), they are not necessarily orthogonal ().
  • Along with the circular symplectic and circular unitary matrix distributions (CircularSymplecticMatrixDistribution and CircularUnitaryMatrixDistribution, respectively), the circular orthogonal matrix distribution was one of three circle matrix ensembles originally devised by Freeman Dyson in 1962 as a tool to study quantum mechanics. Probabilistically, the circular orthogonal matrix distribution represents a uniform distribution over the collection of symmetric unitary square matrices, while mathematically it is a so-called Haar measure on the subset of all symmetric matrices within the unitary group . Matrix ensembles like the circular orthogonal matrix distribution are of considerable importance in the study of random matrix theory, as well as in various branches of physics and mathematics.
  • RandomVariate can be used to give one or more machine- or arbitrary-precision (the latter via the WorkingPrecision option) pseudorandom variates from a circular orthogonal matrix distribution, and the mean, median, variance, raw moments and central moments of a collection of such variates may then be computed using Mean, Median, Variance, Moment and CentralMoment, respectively. Distributed[A,CircularOrthogonalMatrixDistribution[n]], written more concisely as ACircularOrthogonalMatrixDistribution[n], can be used to assert that a random matrix A is distributed according to a circular orthogonal matrix distribution. Such an assertion can be used in functions such as MatrixPropertyDistribution.
  • The trace, eigenvalues and norm of variates distributed according to circular orthogonal matrix distribution may be computed using Tr, Eigenvalues and Norm, respectively. Such variates may also be examined with MatrixFunction, MatrixPower, and related real quantities such as the real part (Re), imaginary part (Im) and complex argument (Arg) can be plotted using MatrixPlot.
  • CircularOrthogonalMatrixDistribution is related to a number of other distributions. As discussed above, it is qualitatively similar to other circular matrix distributions such as CircularQuaternionMatrixDistribution, CircularRealMatrixDistribution, CircularSymplecticMatrixDistribution and CircularUnitaryMatrixDistribution. Originally, the circular matrix ensembles were derived as generalizations of the so-called Gaussian ensembles, and so CircularOrthogonalMatrixDistribution is related to GaussianOrthogonalMatrixDistribution, GaussianSymplecticMatrixDistribution and GaussianUnitaryMatrixDistribution. CircularOrthogonalMatrixDistribution is also related to MatrixNormalDistribution, MatrixTDistribution, WishartMatrixDistribution, InverseWishartMatrixDistribution, TracyWidomDistribution and WignerSemicircleDistribution.

Examples

open all close all

Basic Examples  (2)

Generate a pseudorandom COE matrix:

It is both unitary and symmetric:

Sample a random point on a sphere using MatrixPropertyDistribution:

The distribution is visibly clustered around the axes:

Scope  (3)

Generate a single pseudorandom matrix:

Generate a set of pseudorandom matrices:

Compute statistical properties numerically:

Applications  (2)

Define distribution of complex arguments of random matrix eigenvalues:

Sample the phases of eigenvalues followed by random permutations:

Visualize joint phase distribution together with the closed-form PDF:

The joint distribution of the eigenvalues for CircularOrthogonalMatrixDistribution is also Boltzmann distribution of Dyson's Coulomb gas on a circle with inverse temperature . The average Hamiltonian per particle of the system is (without kinetic terms):

Define the distribution of the value of Hamiltonian on random COE matrix:

Compute the sample mean of the Hamiltonian for systems of different size:

Plot the sample means and compare them with thermodynamic limit:

Properties & Relations  (2)

Distribution of phase angle of the eigenvalues:

Compute the spacing between eigenvalues:

Compare the histogram of sample level spacings with the closed form, also known as Wigner surmise for Dyson index :

For eigenvectors of CircularOrthogonalMatrixDistribution with dimension large, the scaled modulus of the elements is distributed:

Compare the histogram with PDF of ChiSquareDistribution:

Possible Issues  (2)

A matrix from CircularOrthogonalMatrixDistribution need not be orthogonal:

Use CircularRealMatrixDistribution to sample a random orthogonal real-valued matrix:

Matrix from CircularOrthogonalMatrixDistribution can be represented as matrix TemplateBox[{u}, Transpose].u, where matrix follows CircularUnitaryMatrixDistribution:

See Also

CircularUnitaryMatrixDistribution  CircularSymplecticMatrixDistribution  CircularRealMatrixDistribution  CircularQuaternionMatrixDistribution  MatrixPropertyDistribution

Related Guides

    ▪
  • Matrix Distributions

History

Introduced in 2015 (10.3)

Wolfram Research (2015), CircularOrthogonalMatrixDistribution, Wolfram Language function, https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/CircularOrthogonalMatrixDistribution.html.

Text

Wolfram Research (2015), CircularOrthogonalMatrixDistribution, Wolfram Language function, https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/CircularOrthogonalMatrixDistribution.html.

CMS

Wolfram Language. 2015. "CircularOrthogonalMatrixDistribution." Wolfram Language & System Documentation Center. Wolfram Research. https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/CircularOrthogonalMatrixDistribution.html.

APA

Wolfram Language. (2015). CircularOrthogonalMatrixDistribution. Wolfram Language & System Documentation Center. Retrieved from https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/CircularOrthogonalMatrixDistribution.html

BibTeX

@misc{reference.wolfram_2025_circularorthogonalmatrixdistribution, author="Wolfram Research", title="{CircularOrthogonalMatrixDistribution}", year="2015", howpublished="\url{https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/CircularOrthogonalMatrixDistribution.html}", note=[Accessed: 01-May-2026]}

BibLaTeX

@online{reference.wolfram_2025_circularorthogonalmatrixdistribution, organization={Wolfram Research}, title={CircularOrthogonalMatrixDistribution}, year={2015}, url={https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/CircularOrthogonalMatrixDistribution.html}, note=[Accessed: 01-May-2026]}

Top
Introduction for Programmers
Introductory Book
Wolfram Function Repository | Wolfram Data Repository | Wolfram Data Drop | Wolfram Language Products
Top
  • Products
  • Wolfram|One
  • Mathematica
  • Notebook Assistant + LLM Kit
  • Compute Services
  • System Modeler

  • Wolfram|Alpha Notebook Edition
  • Wolfram|Alpha Pro
  • Mobile Apps

  • Wolfram Engine
  • Wolfram Player

  • Volume & Site Licensing
  • Server Deployment Options
  • Consulting
  • Wolfram Consulting
  • Repositories
  • Data Repository
  • Function Repository
  • Community Paclet Repository
  • Neural Net Repository
  • Prompt Repository

  • Wolfram Language Example Repository
  • Notebook Archive
  • Wolfram GitHub
  • Learning
  • Wolfram U
  • Wolfram Language Documentation
  • Webinars & Training
  • Educational Programs

  • Wolfram Language Introduction
  • Fast Introduction for Programmers
  • Fast Introduction for Math Students
  • Books

  • Wolfram Community
  • Wolfram Blog
  • Public Resources
  • Wolfram|Alpha
  • Wolfram Problem Generator
  • Wolfram Challenges

  • Computer-Based Math
  • Computational Thinking
  • Computational Adventures

  • Demonstrations Project
  • Wolfram Data Drop
  • MathWorld
  • Wolfram Science
  • Wolfram Media Publishing
  • Customer Resources
  • Store
  • Product Downloads
  • User Portal
  • Your Account
  • Organization Access

  • Support FAQ
  • Contact Support
  • Company
  • About Wolfram
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Events
Wolfram Community Wolfram Blog
Legal & Privacy Policy
WolframAlpha.com | WolframCloud.com
© 2026 Wolfram
© 2026 Wolfram | Legal & Privacy Policy |
English