Eigenvalue problems, basic definitions

The basic philosophy is to

  • Either apply subsequent similarity transformations (direct method) so that
$$ \begin{equation} \mathbf{S}_N^T\dots \mathbf{S}_1^T\mathbf{A}\mathbf{S}_1\dots \mathbf{S}_N=\mathbf{D} , \tag{4} \end{equation} $$
  • Or apply subsequent similarity transformations so that \( \mathbf{A} \) becomes tridiagonal (Householder) or upper/lower triangular (the QR method to be discussed later).
  • Thereafter, techniques for obtaining eigenvalues from tridiagonal matrices can be used.
  • Or use so-called power methods
  • Or use iterative methods (Krylov, Lanczos, Arnoldi). These methods are popular for huge matrix problems.