Eigenvalue of product of matrices

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers on the relationship between the eigenvalues of the product of two real symmetric matrices, A and B, particularly focusing on the trace of the product AB. The matrices have specific properties, including sparsity and the nature of their off-diagonal elements.

Discussion Character

  • Technical explanation
  • Mathematical reasoning
  • Exploratory

Main Points Raised

  • One participant inquires about the relationship between the eigenvalues of the product AB and those of A and B, specifically asking for the trace of AB.
  • It is noted that matrix A has only 0s on its diagonal with off-diagonal terms being either 0 or 1, while matrix B has 0s on its diagonal and positive real numbers as off-diagonal terms.
  • A mathematical expression for the trace of the product is proposed, leading to bounds on the trace based on the properties of matrices A and B.
  • Another participant mentions that matrix A is sparse, suggesting that the previously mentioned bounds may not be tight due to the sparsity of A.
  • Further inquiry is made regarding the bounds on the sparsity of matrix A and the size of the matrices involved.
  • A participant provides a specific bound for the trace, indicating it is smaller than a product involving the number of non-zero off-diagonal terms in A and the maximum off-diagonal element of B.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

The discussion does not reach a consensus, as participants explore various bounds and properties without settling on definitive relationships or conclusions regarding the eigenvalues or trace of the product.

Contextual Notes

Participants express uncertainty about the implications of sparsity on the bounds and the specific characteristics of the matrices, indicating that the discussion is still in an exploratory phase.

mnov
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I have two real symmetric matrices A and B with the following additional properties. I would like to know how the eigenvalues of the product AB, is related to those of A and B? In particular what is \mathrm{trace}(AB)?

A contains only 0s on its diagonal. Off diagonal terms are either 0 or 1.
B also contains only 0s on its diagonal. Its off diagonal terms are positive real numbers.

If equalities don't exist, some bounds would also be helpful.

Thanks.
 
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mnov said:
I have two real symmetric matrices A and B with the following additional properties. I would like to know how the eigenvalues of the product AB, is related to those of A and B? In particular what is \mathrm{trace}(AB)?

A contains only 0s on its diagonal. Off diagonal terms are either 0 or 1.
B also contains only 0s on its diagonal. Its off diagonal terms are positive real numbers.

If equalities don't exist, some bounds would also be helpful.

Thanks.
Let ##a_{i,j}## be the element of matrix A from row i and column j, and let ##b_{i,j}## be the element of matrix A from row i and column j. Then,
$$\operatorname{tr}(\textbf{AB})=\sum_{i}\sum_{j}a_{j,i}b_{i,j}.$$
Thus, from the fact that the non-diagonal terms of A are either 0 or 1, we obtain the bounds that
$$0 \leq \operatorname{tr}(\textbf{AB}) \leq \sum_{i}\sum_{j}b_{i,j}.$$
 
Thanks.
I forgot to mention that A is sparse, i.e., most of its off diagonal terms are zero. So the above bound would be pretty bad.
 
mnov said:
Thanks.
I forgot to mention that A is sparse, i.e., most of its off diagonal terms are zero. So the above bound would be pretty bad.
Do you have bounds on the sparsity of the matrix? I could probably do a little better with an idea of how dense the matrix is. Also, is there any idea as to the size of the matrices?

I have nothing to do and I want something to work on. :-p
 
A is an n x n matrix. m = constant * n of the off diagonal terms are 1. n is large.
 
So you have a bound like the trace is smaller than
m* max_{i,j}\left{ b_{ij} \right}
 

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