Spectral properties of matrix polynomials in the max algebra (Q550664)

The max algebra consists of the set of nonnegative real numbers equipped with the basic operations of multiplication, \(a\otimes b = ab\), and maximization, \(a \oplus b =\max\{a, b\}\). Largely inspired by the work of \textit{P. Psarrakos} and \textit{M. J. Tsatsomeros} [Linear Algebra Appl. 393, 333--351 (2004; Zbl 1063.15019)], the authors show how to associate a companion matrix with a max matrix polynomial and show that there is a perfect correspondence between the eigenvalues and eigenvectors of the polynomial and those of the companion matrix. Then, they apply the Perron-Frobenius theorem for the max algebra to obtain a corresponding result for matrix polynomials over the max algebra. Implications of the results for the convergence of multistep difference equations in the max algebra are investigated. Several inequalities for the largest max eigenvalue of a max matrix polynomial in terms of the largest max eigenvalue of a fixed matrix associated with the polynomial are also derived.