Sparse fusion frames: existence and construction (Q647422)

Fusion frame theory is a recent, developing mathematical theory that provides a natural framework for performing hierarchical data processing. A fusion frame can be considered to be a frame-like collection of subspaces in a Hilbert space and thereby generalizes the concept of a frame for signal representation. However, when the signal and/or subspace dimensions are large, the decomposing of the signal into its fusion frame measurements through subspaces projections typically requires a large number of additions and multiplications and perhaps the user has a limited computing budget. To be cost effective, the notion of a sparse fusion frame is introduced, that is, a fusion frame whose subspaces are generated by orthonormal basis vectors that are sparse in a `uniform basis' over all subspaces. The focus of this paper is to develop simple algorithmic constructions that can easily be adopted in practice to produce sparse fusion frames with desired (given) operators. A complete characterization is presented for the Parseval fusion frames in terms of the existence of special isometries defined on an encompassing Hilbert space. Two general methodologies are introduced to generate new fusion frames from existing ones, namely the spatial complement method and the Naimark complement method, and to analyze the relationship between the parameters of the original and the new fusion frame. The authors then proceed by establishing existence conditions for 2-sparse fusion frames for any given fusion frame operator for which the eigenvalues are greater than or equal to two. An easily implementable algorithm for computing such 2-sparse fusion frames is given.