No label defined (Q4933876)

The real homogeneous polynomial \(f=f(t, x_1,\dots,x_m)\) of degree \(n\) in \(m+1\) indeterminates \(t, x_1,\dots, x_m\) is said to be hyperbolic with respect to \(\theta \in {\mathbb R}^{m+1}\) if \(f(\theta)\neq 0\) and if, for every fixed \(\xi \in{\mathbb R}^{m+1}\), the equations \(f(t\theta +\xi)=0\) has \(n\) real zeros (counting the multiplicity of each zero). There is no loss of generality in assuming that \(\theta =\theta_0=(1, 0,\dots, 0)\) and \(f(\theta_0)=1\). The polynomial \(f\) can be factorized with respect to the indeterminate \(t\): \[ f(t, x_1,\dots, x_m)= (t+\psi_1(x_1,\dots, x_m))(t+\psi_2(x_1,\dots, x_m)) \cdot\dots\cdot(t+\psi_n(x_1,\dots, x_m)), \] where the functions \(\psi_j\) are continuous on \({\mathbb R}^m\), positive-homogeneous and satisfy the inequalities \[ \psi_1(x_1,\dots, x_m) \geq \psi_2(x_1,\dots, x_m)\geq\dots\geq \psi_n(x_1,\dots, x_m). \] A theorem of Gårding states that the function \(\psi_1\) is convex on \({\mathbb R}^m\). The author gives the following generalization of this theorem: Suppose that \(f\) is a real homogeneous polynomial hyperbolic with respect to \(\theta_0\) and \(f(\theta_0)=1\). Suppose that \(c_1, c_2,\dots, c_n\) are real numbers satisfying \(c_1\geq c_2 \geq\dots \geq c_n\). Then the function \(\sum^n_{j=1} c_j\psi_j \) is convex on \({\mathbb R}^m\). The proof is based on an elementary theory of symmetric polynomials. An example of application of this theorem to the theory of generalized numerical ranges of matrices is also given.