Dynamical Methods for Polar Decomposition and Inversion of Matrices
Getz, N. H. and J. E. Marsden
Linear Algebra and its Appl., 258, 311-343
Abstract:
We show how one may obtain polar decomposition as well as inversion of fixed
and time-varying matrices using a class of nonlinear continuous-time dynamical
systems. First we construct a dynamical system that causes an initial
approximation of the inverse of a time-varying matrix to flow exponentially
toward the true time-varying inverse. Using a time-parameterized homotopy
from the identity matrix to a fixed matrix with unknown inverse, and applying
our result on the inversion of time-varying matrices, we show how any positive
definite fixed matrix may be dynamically inverted by a prescribed time
without an initial guess at the inverse. We then construct a dynamical system
that solves for the polar decomposition factors of a time-varying matrix given
an initial approximation for the inverse of the positive definite symmetric
part of the polar decomposition. As a byproduct, this method gives another
method of inverting time-varying matrices. Finially, using homotopy again,
we show how dynamic polar decomposition may be applied to fixed matrices
with the added benefit that this allows us to dynamically invert any fixed
matrix by a prescribed time.