Ralf Zimmermann
We derive a numerical algorithm for evaluating the Riemannian logarithm on the Stiefel manifold with respect to the canonical metric. In contrast to the existing optimization-based approach, we work from a purely matrix-algebraic perspective. Moreover, we prove that the algorithm converges locally and exhibits a linear rate of convergence.
Ralf Zimmermann
In this work, we consider rank-one adaptations $X_{new} = X+ab^T$ of a given matrix $X\in \mathbb{R}^{n\times p}$ with known matrix factorization $X = UW$, where $U\in\mathbb{R}^{n\times p}$ is column-orthogonal, i.e. $U^TU=I$. Arguably the most important methods that produce such factorizations are the singular value decomposition (SVD), where $X=UW=UΣV^T$, and the QR-decomposition, where $X = UW = QR$. An elementary approach to produce a column-orthogonal matrix $U_{new}$, whose columns span the same subspace as the columns of the rank-one modified $X_{new} = X +ab^T$ is via applying a suitable coordinate change such that in the new coordinates, the update affects a single column and subsequently performing a Gram-Schmidt step for reorthogonalization. This may be interpreted as a rank-one adaptation of the $U$-factor in the SVD or a rank-one adaptation of the $Q$-factor in the QR-decomposition, respectively, and leads to a decomposition for the adapted matrix $X_{new} = U_{new}W_{new}$. By using a geometric approach, we show that this operation is equivalent to traveling from the subspace $\mathcal{S}= \text{ran}(X)$ to the subspace $\mathcal{S}_{new} =\text{ran}(X_{new})$ on a geodesic line on the Grassmann manifold and we derive a closed-form expression for this geodesic. In addition, this allows us to determine the subspace distance between the subspaces $\mathcal{S}$ and $\mathcal{S}_{new}$ without additional computational effort. Both $U_{new}$ and $W_{new}$ are obtained via elementary rank-one matrix updates in $\mathcal{O}(np)$ time for $n\gg p$.
Ralf Zimmermann
In Riemannian computing applications, it is crucial to map manifold data to a Euclidean domain, where vector space arithmetic is available, and back. Classical manifold theory guarantees the existence of such mappings, called charts and parameterizations, or, collectively, local coordinates. When computational efficiency is of the essence, practitioners usually resort to retraction maps to define local coordinates. Retractions yield first-order approximations of the Riemannian normal coordinates. This work introduces a new retraction on the symplectic Stiefel manifold that features a closed-form inverse. We expose essential features and compare the numerical performance to a selection of existing retractions. To the best of our knowledge, prior to this work, the so-called Cayley retraction was the only retraction on the symplectic Stiefel manifold with known closed-form inverse.