Oscillation of second order linear matrix difference equations (Q1174300)

The paper presents oscillation results for the second order linear matrix difference equation \(\Delta[P(t-1)\Delta Y(t-1)]+Q(t)Y(t)=0\), \(t=a,a+1,a+2,\dots\) where the complex matrices \(P(t)\) and \(Q(t)\) are Hermitian and \(P(t)\) is positive definite. Studying the associated Riccati equation the author gives various sufficient conditions for the equation to be oscillatory in terms of the asymptotic behavior as \(t\to\infty\) of the largest eigenvalues of the matrix \(\sum^ t_{r=t_ 1}Q(\tau)\), \(t\geq t_ 1\geq a+1\). In addition he presents theorems which are discrete matrix analogues of known results for scalar differential equations. The paper is concluded by a conjecture on the oscillation property of the equation in the special case \(P(t-1)\equiv\) identity.