Polynomial two-parameter eigenvalue problems and matrix pencil methods for stability of delay-differential equations
For researchers studying stability of delay-differential equations, this provides a theoretical unification and new computational approaches, though the contribution is primarily theoretical and incremental.
This work introduces a polynomial two-parameter eigenvalue problem as a unifying framework for matrix pencil methods used to analyze the stability of delay-differential equations, establishing relations between existing methods and identifying new variants.
Several recent methods used to analyze asymptotic stability of delay-differential equations (DDEs) involve determining the eigenvalues of a matrix, a matrix pencil or a matrix polynomial constructed by Kronecker products. Despite some similarities between the different types of these so-called matrix pencil methods, the general ideas used as well as the proofs differ considerably. Moreover, the available theory hardly reveals the relations between the different methods. In this work, a different derivation of various matrix pencil methods is presented using a unifying framework of a new type of eigenvalue problem: the polynomial two-parameter eigenvalue problem, of which the quadratic two-parameter eigenvalue problem is a special case. This framework makes it possible to establish relations between various seemingly different methods and provides further insight in the theory of matrix pencil methods. We also recognize a few new matrix pencil variants to determine DDE stability. Finally, the recognition of the new types of eigenvalue problem opens a door to efficient computation of DDE stability.