Halley's Method for Rectangular Matrix Variables and the Matrix Schwarzian Derivative

Abstract

Alefeld (1981) recast Halley's cubic convergence as Newton's method on $g=f/\sqrt{f'}$, linked to the Schwarzian derivative. We generalize this to matrix gradient fields $F=\nablaϕ$ ($X\in\R^{m\times n}$) via a matrix Schwarzian derivative interpreted through information geometry ($α$-connections). Simplifying Palmore (1994), we construct this operator square-root-free derivative from the third Fréchet derivative of the Newton map. Our main theorem proves local cubic convergence with an explicit error constant, without self-adjointness, commutativity, or gradient-field assumptions. A matrix-free algorithm (Hessian-vector products only) validates the theory. We contrast this with a power-Newton family (whose naive matrix extension fails) and the matrix Laguerre family (which requires an operator square root). A case study on the Oja-type system $\dot X=AXB-XBX^TAX$ reveals that convergence depends on target eigenvalue gaps, cubic gains grow with ill-conditioning, and 70-digit tests confirm exact theoretical orders alongside a working-precision accuracy budget. Finally, we note coupled formulations excel primarily when sequential deflation is inapplicable.