An inertia formula for Hermitian matrices with sparse inverses (Q1183205)

Let \(A\) denote a nonsingular complex Hermitian matrix and let \(G=(G,E)\) denote an undirected chordal graph on the vertices \(\{1,\ldots,n\}\), i.e. for each sequence \(v_ 1,\ldots,v_ k,v_ 1\) such that \(v_ kv_ 1\in E\), \(v_ iv_{i+1}\in E\) and \(k>3\), there are two nonconsecutive vertices \(v_ i\) and \(v_ j\) such that \(v_ iv_ j\in E\). In case that the graph \(G(A^{-1})\) of \(A^{-1}\) satisfies \(G(A^{-1})\subset G\), the authors give a formula for the inertia of \(A\) in terms of inertias of certain principal submatrices of \(A\). In the course of proof, the authors establish a relationship between the inertia of the principal submatrix of \(A\) and that of the complementary block of \(A^{-1}\) which is of independent interest.