Eigenvector dynamics: theory and some applications
  We propose a general framework to study the stability of the subspace spanned by $P$ consecutive eigenvectors of a generic symmetric matrix ${\bf H}_0$, when a small perturbation is added. This problem is relevant in various contexts, including quantum dissipation (${\bf H}_0$ is then the Hamiltonian) and risk control (in which case ${\bf H}_0$ is the assets return correlation matrix). We specialize our results for the case of a Gaussian Orthogonal ${\bf H}_0$, or when ${\bf H}_0$ is a correlation matrix. We illustrate the usefulness of our framework using financial data. 
Romain Allez, Jean-Philippe Bouchaud
cond-mat.stat-mech q-fin.ST