On QZ steps with perfect shifts and computing the index of a differential-algebraic equation

Abstract

Abstract In this paper we revisit the problem of performing a $QZ$ step with a so-called ‘perfect shift’, which is an ‘exact’ eigenvalue of a given regular pencil $\lambda B-A$ in unreduced Hessenberg triangular form. In exact arithmetic, the $QZ$ step moves that eigenvalue to the bottom of the pencil, while the rest of the pencil is maintained in Hessenberg triangular form, which then yields a deflation of the given eigenvalue. But in finite precision the $QZ$ step gets ‘blurred’ and precludes the deflation of the given eigenvalue. In this paper we show that when we first compute the corresponding eigenvector to sufficient accuracy, then the $QZ$ step can be constructed using this eigenvector, so that the deflation is also obtained in finite precision. An important application of this technique is the computation of the index of a system of differential algebraic equations, since an exact deflation of the infinite eigenvalues is needed to impose correctly the algebraic constraints of such differential equations.