Max-min problems on the ranks and inertias of the matrix expressions \(A - BXC \pm (BXC)^{\ast}\) with applications (Q535072)

In this paper, a simultaneous decomposition for a matrix triplet \((A,B,C ^{\ast})\) is introduced, where \(A=\pm A^{\ast}\) and \((\cdot )^{\ast}\) denotes the conjugate transpose of a matrix. Some conjectures on the maximal and minimal values of the ranks of the matrix expressions \(A - BXC \pm (BXC)^{\ast}\) with respect to a variable matrix \(X\) are solved. Some explicit formulas for the maximal and minimal values of the inertia of the matrix expression \(A - BXC - (BXC)^{\ast}\) with respect to \(X\) are given. As applications, the extremal ranks and inertias of the matrix expression \(D - CXC^{\ast}\) subject to Hermitian solutions of a consistent matrix equation \(AXA^{\ast}=B\), as well as the extremal ranks and inertias of the Hermitian Schur complement \(D - B^{\ast} A ^{\sim} B\) with respect to a Hermitian generalized inverse \(A ^{\sim}\) of \(A\) are derived.