On pseudo-spectral factorization over the complex numbers and quaternions (Q2199347)

This paper is written for specialists in complex and hypercomplex (quaternionic) analysis. It introduces the notions of Carathéodory functions in quaternionic analysis, alongside generalized positive functions, rational functions, (quaternionic) slice-hyperholomorphic functions (and rational), generalized positive functions and generalized positive even functions. The central result is for generalized positive even quaternionic square matrix valued slice-hyperholomorphic rational functions with a minimal realization to be factorizable by quaternionic square matrix valued slice-hyperholomorphic rational functions without poles and zeros in the open right half-space (and in the open left half-space, determined by an infinity condition). The paper tries to appeal to a wide audience from theory of linear systems, hypercomplex analysis and electric engineering. Section 2 treats the case of rational complex square matrix valued functions. Section 3 applies this to interpolation, including an example of interpolation with generalized positive even polynomials, when nodes and image points are specified. Section 4 is focused on generalized Carathéodory functions for complex square-matrix-valued rational functions. Section 5 introduces necessary preliminaries from quaternions, including the notion of slice hyperholomorphicity and an explicit 2-by-2 quaternionic square-matrix-valued function example. Section 6 provides the full explicit proof of the main factorization theorem for generalized positive even quaternionic square-matrix-valued slice-hyperholomorphic rational functions with a minimal realization. The complex proof is segmented into 9 steps. Finally, in Section 7 interpolation problems in the class of quaternionic rational generalized positive functions are considered. In one of the considered problems, \(N\) quaternions are given (not any three of them being co-spherical), and a set of \(N\) quaternionic \(n\)-by-\(n\) square matrices. The task is to find an even generalized positive \(n\)-by-\(n\) square-matrix-valued slice holomorphic function that assigns each quaternion to one of the given quaternionic \(n\)-by-\(n\) square matrices.