P-Tensors, P$_0$-Tensors, and Tensor Complementarity Problem

Abstract

The concepts of P- and P$_0$-matrices are generalized to P- and P$_0$-tensors of even and odd orders via homogeneous formulae. Analog to the matrix case, our P-tensor definition encompasses many important classes of tensors such as the positive definite tensors, the nonsingular M-tensors, the nonsingular H-tensors with positive diagonal entries, the strictly diagonally dominant tensors with positive diagonal entries, etc. As even-order symmetric PSD tensors are exactly even-order symmetric P$_0$-tensors, our definition of P$_0$-tensors, to some extent, can be regarded as an extension of PSD tensors for the odd-order case. Along with the basic properties of P- and P$_0$-tensors, the relationship among P$_0$-tensors and other extensions of PSD tensors are then discussed for comparison. Many structured tensors are also shown to be P- and P$_0$-tensors. As a theoretical application, the P-tensor complementarity problem is discussed and shown to possess a nonempty and compact solution set.