Simplified calculation of eigenvector derivatives

Abstract

A simplified procedure is presented for the determination of the derivatives of eigenvectors of nth order algebraic eigensystems. The method is applicable to symmetric or nonsymmetric systems, and requires knowledge of only one eigenvalue and its associated right and left eigenvectors. In the procedure, the matrix of the original eigensystem of rank (/?-!) is modified to convert it to a matrix of rank /?, which then is solved directly for a vector which, together with the eigenvector, gives the eigenvector derivative to within an arbitrary constant. The norm of the eigenvector is used to determine this constant and complete the calculation. The method is simple, since the modified n rank matrix is formed without matrix multiplication or extensive manipulation. Since the matrix has the same bandedness as the original eigensystems, it can be treated efficiently using the same banded equation solution algorithms that are used to find the eigenvectors.