A note on the growth factor in Gaussian elimination for generalized Higham matrices

The Higham matrix is a complex symmetric matrix A=B+iC, where both B and C are real, symmetric and positive definite and $\mathrm{i}=\sqrt{-1}$ is the imaginary unit. For any Higham matrix A, Ikramov et al. showed that the growth factor in Gaussian elimination is less than 3. In this paper, based on the previous results, a new bound of the growth factor is obtained by using the maximum of the condition numbers of matrixes B and C for the generalized Higham matrix A, which strengthens this bound to 2 and proves the Higham's conjecture.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figures; Submitted to MOC on Dec. 22 201

Beyond the 2nd Fermi Pulsar Catalog

Over thirteen times more gamma-ray pulsars have now been studied with the Large Area Telescope on NASA's Fermi satellite than the ten seen with the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory in the nineteen-nineties. The large sample is diverse, allowing better understanding both of the pulsars themselves and of their roles in various cosmic processes. Here we explore the prospects for even more gamma-ray pulsars as Fermi enters the 2nd half of its nominal ten-year mission. New pulsars will naturally tend to be fainter than the first ones discovered. Some of them will have unusual characteristics compared to the current population, which may help discriminate between models. We illustrate a vision of the future with a sample of six pulsars discovered after the 2nd Fermi Pulsar Catalog was written.Comment: 6 pages, to appear in the proceedings of "The Fast and the Furious: Energetic Phenomena in Isolated Neutron Stars, Pulsar Wind Nebulae and Supernova Remnants",ESAC, Madrid, Spain, 22 - 24 May 2013 http://xmm.esac.esa.int/external/xmm_science/workshops/2013_science/, to be published as a regular issue of the Astronomische Nachrichten / Astronomical Notes (AN