Characterizations of the spectral radius of positive operators (Q919437)

The characterization of the Perron-Frobenius eigenvalue \(\rho\) (A) of an irreducible non-negative \(n\times n\) matrix A given by \textit{H. Wielandt} [Math. Z. 52, 642-648 (1950; Zbl 0035.291)] states \[ \rho (A)=\max_{x>0} \min_{1\leq i\leq n}\frac{(Ax)_ i}{x_ i}=\min_{x>0} \max_{1\leq i\leq n}\frac{(Ax)_ i}{x_ i}. \] It was shown by \textit{J. E. Cohen} and the author [Proc. Am. Math. Soc. 93, 205- 211 (1985; Zbl 0527.15008)] that this characterization can be regarded as a consequence of the game-theoretic inequality \(\inf_{x} \sup_{y} \psi \geq \sup_{x} \inf_{y} \psi\). The same idea is used here to extend the characterizations of \textit{G. Birkhoff} and \textit{R. S. Varga} [J. Soc. Indust. Appl. Math. 6, 354-377 (1958; Zbl 0086.233)] and Wielandt (loc. cit.) to the spectral radius of positive operators to general cones of infinite dimension, and the characterization of \textit{M. D. Dunsher} and \textit{S. R. Varadhan} [Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA 72, 780- 783 (1975; Zbl 0353.49039)] to general cones of finite dimension.