Persistently positive inverses of perturbed \(M\)-matrices (Q875029)

The so-called \(M\)-matrices form a rich and well-known class of matrices. There are about fifty different but equivalent definitions of \(M\)-matrices. In this paper the authors consider the effect of perturbations on the inverse of \(M\)-matrices. Specifically, a tridiagonal \(M\)-matrix is perturbed by adding sub- and superdiagonals. If these diagonal perturbations are nonpositive, a sufficient condition for a nonnegative inverse is obtained. The authors explore perturbations in the form of positive sub- and superdiagonals and ask under what conditions the inverse of the resulting matrix is nonnegative. Results are obtained for diagonal and rank-1 perturbations of symmetric tridiagonal \(M\)-matrices and rank-1 perturbations of nonsymmetric tridiagonal \(M\)-matrices.