Note on unit tangent vector computation for homotopy curve tracking on a hypercube (Q1180618)

Homotopy methods are globally convergent algorithms for solving nonlinear systems of equations. These methods require the tracking of a so-called homotopy curve. This involves finding the unit tangent vector along the curve, which amounts to calculating the kernel of an \(n\times (n+1)\) Jacobian matrix. Two known algorithms for this are considered: The first algorithm requires a \(QR\) factorization and, subsequently, solving a triangular system, the second one works with an \(LQ\) factorization. Known parallel versions of both methods are shortly described, and numerical tests are reported for problems of dimension up to 150, showing the superiority of parallel computation for dimension \(n\geq 50\).