Reusing LU factors for multiple right-hand sides

ID: reusing-lu-factors-for-multiple-right-hand-sides

When a fixed matrix is used with several forcing or measurement vectors, compute its Pivoted LU decomposition once. Collect right-hand sides into the columns of , and the corresponding solutions into . Then
Each column undergoes the same row permutation, forward substitution and back substitution. Neither , nor depends on . This is the useful separation between preparing a linear system and applying its solution procedure repeatedly. LAPACK implements it by taking previously computed factors, permuting all right-hand sides, and performing the two triangular solves.[ref]
For the unpivoted factors in Computed three-by-three LU decomposition, take
Direct matrix multiplication checks all three identities , and . The first column reproduces the previous solve; the other two use exactly the same factors. New right-hand sides can also arrive one at a time. If changes, these stored factors generally need to be recomputed.
Figure 1.
One row permutation fixes a zero pivot element; each new right-hand side reuses the same LU decomposition and two triangular solves
. Details.

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