Minimax theorem for the spectral radius of the product of non-negative matrices

Abstract

We prove the minimax equality for the spectral radius $\rho(AB)$ of the product of matrices $A\in\mathcal{A}$ and $B\in\mathcal{B}$, where $\mathcal{A}$ and $\mathcal{B}$ are compact sets of non-negative matrices of dimensions $N\times M$ and $M\times N$, respectively, satisfying the so-called hourglass alternative.