Some results on Kwong functions and related inequalities (Q2435422)

A continuous real-valued function \(g\) defined on an interval \((a, b)\) with \(a \geq 0\) is called Kwong if the matrix whose \(ij\)-entry is \(\frac{g(\lambda_i)+g(\lambda_j)}{\lambda_i+\lambda_j}\) is positive semidefinite for any distinct real numbers \(\lambda_1, \dots, \lambda_n\) in \((a, b)\). The author proves that a continuous function \(f\) on \((0, \infty)\) is a Kwong function if and only if \(A B + BA \geq 0\) implies that \(f(A)B + Bf(A) \geq 0\) for each invertible positive operator \(A\) and positive operator \(B\). He shows that, if \(f\) is an operator monotone function on \((0,\infty)\), then \(g(x)=xf'(x)\) is Kwong. He also presents an arithmetic-geometric mean type inequality by showing that for two continuous functions \(f , g\) on \((0, \infty)\) such that \(h(t) = f (t)/g(t)\) is a Kwong function and \(f (t)g(t) \leq t\), any positive matrices \(A, B\) and any matrix \(X\), it holds that \(|||f(A)Xg(B) + g(A)Xf(B)||| \leq |||AX+XB|||\), where \(|||\cdot|||\) is a unitarily invariant norm.