Total nonpositivity of nonsingular matrices

In this paper, nonsingular totally nonpositive matrices are studied and new characterizations are provided in terms of the signs of minors with consecutive initial rows or consecutive initial columns. These characterizations extend an existing characterization that uses some restrictive hypotheses.     

A note on generalizations of strict diagonal dominance for real matrices

We investigate classes of real square matrices possessing some weakened from of strict diagonal dominance of a real matrix whose diagonal entries are all positive. The intersection of each one of these classes with the set of all real matrices, with nonpositive off-diagonal elements, coincides with the set of all nonsingular M- matrices.     

AlmostP 0-matrices and the classQ

This paper demonstrates that within the class of thosen × n real matrices, each of which has a negative determinant, nonnegative proper principal minors and inverse with at least one positive entry, the class ofQ-matrices coincides with the class of regular matrices. Each of these classes of matrices plays an important role in the theory of the linear complementarity problem. Lastly, analogous results are obtained for nonsingular matrices which possess only nonpositive principal minors.     

M-matrix characterizations.I—nonsingular M-matrices

The purpose of this survey is to classify systematically a widely ranging list of characterizations of nonsingular M-matrices from the economics and mathematics literatures. These characterizations are grouped together in terms of their relations to the properties of (1) positivity of principal minors, (2) inverse-positivity and splittings, (3) stability and (4) semipositivity and diagonal dominance. A list of forty equivalent conditions is given for a square matrix A with nonpositive off-diagonal entries to be a nonsingular M-matrix. These conditions are grouped into classes in order to identify those that are equivalent for arbitrary real matrices A. In addition, other remarks relating nonsingular M-matrices to certain complex matrices are made, and the recent literature on these general topics is surveyed.     

Full spark frames and totally positive matrices

In this paper we establish a connection between full spark frames and totally nonsingular matrices. Then we provide a method for constructing infinite totally positive matrices which make up a subclass of the class of totally nonsingular matrices. Using this method we then construct a family of infinite totally positive matrices parameterized by non-negative numbers which contains, as the simplest case, the infinite Pascal matrix. The paper ends with some examples and comments on full spark frames.     

Intervals of totally nonnegative matrices

Totally nonnegative matrices, i.e., matrices having all their minors nonnegative, and matrix intervals with respect to the checkerboard ordering are considered. It is proven that if the two bound matrices of such a matrix interval are nonsingular and totally nonnegative (and in addition all their zero minors are identical) then all matrices from this interval are also nonsingular and totally nonnegative (with identical zero minors).     

Nonsingular almost strictly sign regular matrices

The class of nonsingular almost strictly totally positive matrices has been characterized [M. Gasca, J.M. Peña, Characterizations and decompositions of almost strictly positive matrices, SIAM J. Matrix Anal. Appl. 28 (2006) 1–8]. In this paper, we discuss the class of almost strictly sign regular matrices that includes almost strictly totally positive matrices. A characterization is provided for these matrices in terms of their nontrivial minors using consecutive rows and consecutive columns. In particular, we present a characterization of certain almost strictly sign regular matrices in terms of a very reduced number of boundary almost trivial minors.     

Monotone positive stable matrices

The class of real matrices which are both monotone (inverse positive) and positive stable is investigated. Such matrices, called N-matrices, have the well-known class of nonsingular M-matrices as a proper subset. Relationships between the classes of N-matrices, M-matrices, nonsingular totally nonnegative matrices, and oscillatory matrices are developed. Conditions are given for some classes of matrices, including tridiagonal and some Toeplitz matrices, to be N-matrices.     

Accurate computations of matrices with bidiagonal decomposition using methods for totally positive matrices

A class of sign‐symmetric P‐matrices including all nonsingular totally positive matrices and their inverses as well as tridiagonal nonsingular H‐matrices is presented and analyzed. These matrices present a bidiagonal decomposition that can be used to obtain algorithms to compute with high relative accuracy their singular values, eigenvalues, inverses, or their LDU factorization. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Factoring symmetric totally nonpositive matrices and inverses with a diagonal pivoting method

In this paper, we consider how to factor symmetric totally nonpositive matrices and their inverses by taking advantage of the symmetric property. It is well-known that the Bunch-Kaufman algorithm is the most commonly used pivoting strategy which can, however, produce arbitrarily large entries in the lower triangular factor for such matrices as illustrated by our example. Therefore, it is interesting to show that when the Bunch-Parlett algorithm is simplified for these matrices, it only requires O(n ²) comparisons with the growth factor being nicely bounded by 4. These facts, together with a nicely bounded lower triangular factor and a pleasantly small relative backward error, show that the Bunch-Parlett algorithm is more preferable than the Bunch-Kaufman algorithm when dealing with these matrices.     

Intervals of Totally Nonnegative and Related Matrices

We consider the class of the totally nonnegative matrices, i.e., the matrices having all their minors nonnegative, and intervals of matrices with respect to the chequerboard partial ordering, which results from the usual entrywise partial ordering if we reverse the inequality sign in all components having odd index sum. For these intervals we study the following conjecture: If the left and right endpoints of an interval are nonsingular and totally nonnegative then all matrices taken from the interval are nonsingular and totally nonnegative. We present a new class of the totally nonnegative matrices for which this conjecture holds true. Similar results for classes of related matrices are also given.     

The approximation of a totally positive band matrix by a strictly banded totally positive one

Every nonsingular totally positive m-banded matrix is shown to be the product of m totally positive one-banded matrices and, therefore, the limit of strictly m-banded totally positive matrices. This result is then extended to (bi)infinite m-banded totally positive matrices with linearly independent rows and columns. In the process, such matrices are shown to possess at least one diagonal whose principal sections are all nonzero. As a consequence, such matrices are seen to be approximable by strictly m-banded totally positive ones.     

Bidiagonalization of oscillatory matrices

We prove that an oscillatory matrix is similar to a bidiagonal nonnegative matrix by means of a totally positive matrix of change of basis. New characterizations of oscillatory and nonsingular totally positive matrices in terms of similarity are provided.     

On the characterization of almost strictly totally positive matrices

A nonsingular matrix is called almost strictly totally positive when all its minors are nonnegative and, furthermore, these minors are strictly positive if and only if their diagonal entries are strictly positive. Almost strictly totally positive matrices are useful in Approximation Theory and Computer Aided Geometric Design to generate bases of functions with good shape preserving properties. In this paper we give an algorithmic characterization of these matrices. Moreover, we provide a determinantal characterization of them in terms of the positivity of a very reduced number of their minors and also in terms of their factorizations.     

On the characterization of almost strictly totally positive matrices

A nonsingular matrix is called almost strictly totally positive when all its minors are nonnegative and, furthermore, these minors are strictly positive if and only if their diagonal entries are strictly positive. Almost strictly totally positive matrices are useful in Approximation Theory and Computer Aided Geometric Design to generate bases of functions with good shape preserving properties. In this paper we give an algorithmic characterization of these matrices. Moreover, we provide a determinantal characterization of them in terms of the positivity of a very reduced number of their minors and also in terms of their factorizations. Both authors were partially supported by the DGICYT Spain Research Grant PB93-0310     

Full rank factorization in echelon form of totally nonpositive (negative) rectangular matrices

An n×m real matrix A is said to be totally nonpositive (negative) if every minor is nonpositive (negative). In this paper, we study the full rank factorization in echelon form of a totally nonpositive (negative) matrix. This characterization allows us to significantly reduce the number of minors to be checked in order to decide the total negativity of a matrix.     

Matrices that preserve vectors of fixed sign variation

For each k≥ 0, those nonsingular matrices that transform the set of totally nonzero vectors with k sign variations into (respectively, onto) itself are studied. Necessary and sufficient conditions are provided. The cases k=0,1,2,n-3,n-2,n-1 are completely characterized.     

ALPS: Matrices with nonpositive off-diagonal entries

The purpose of this paper is to characterize and interrelate various degrees of stability and semipositivity for real square matrices having nonpositive off-diagonal entries. The major classes considered are the sets of diagonally stable, stable, and semipositive matrices, denoted respectively by $\text{A}$, $\text{L}$, and $\text{S}$. The conditions defining these classes are weakened, and the resulting classes are examined. Their relationship to the classes of real matrices $\text{P}$ and $\text{P}$₀, whose off-diagonal entries are nonpositive and whose principal minors are respectively all positive and all nonnegative, is also included.     

A binary powering Schur algorithm for computing primary matrix roots

An algorithm for computing primary roots of a nonsingular matrix A is presented. In particular, it computes the principal root of a real matrix having no nonpositive real eigenvalues, using real arithmetic. The algorithm is based on the Schur decomposition of A and has an order of complexity lower than the customary Schur based algorithm, namely the Smith algorithm.     

Computing ECT-B-splines recursively

ECT-spline curves for sequences of multiple knots are generated from different local ECT-systems via connection matrices. Under appropriate assumptions there is a basis of the space of ECT-splines consisting of functions having minimal compact supports, normalized to form a nonnegative partition of unity. The basic functions can be defined by generalized divided differences [24]. This definition reduces to the classical one in case of a Schoenberg space. Under suitable assumptions it leads to a recursive method for computing the ECT-B-splines that reduces to the de Boor–Mansion–Cox recursion in case of ordinary polynomial splines and to Lyche's recursion in case of Tchebycheff splines. For sequences of simple knots and connection matrices that are nonsingular, lower triangular and totally positive the spline weights are identified as Neville–Aitken weights of certain generalized interpolation problems. For multiple knots they are limits of Neville–Aitken weights. In many cases the spline weights can be computed easily by recurrence. Our approach covers the case of Bézier-ECT-splines as well. They are defined by different local ECT-systems on knot intervals of a finite partition of a compact interval [a,b] connected at inner knots all of multiplicities zero by full connection matrices A ^[i] that are nonsingular, lower triangular and totally positive. In case of ordinary polynomials of order n they reduce to the classical Bézier polynomials. We also present a recursive algorithm of de Boor type computing ECT-spline curves pointwise. Examples of polynomial and rational B-splines constructed from given knot sequences and given connection matrices are added. For some of them we give explicit formulas of the spline weights, for others we display the B-splines or the B-spline curves. *Supported in part by INTAS 03-51-6637.