A hybrid iterative method for symmetric indefinite linear systems

Hybrid iterative methods that combine a conjugate direction method with a simpler iteration scheme, such as Chebyshev or Richardson iteration, were first proposed in the 1950s. The ease with which Chebyshev and Richardson iteration can be implemented efficiently on a large variety of computer architectures has in recent years lead to renewed interest in iterative methods that use Chebyshev or Richardson iteration. This paper presents a new hybrid iterative method for the solution of linear systems of equations with a symmetric indefinite matrix. Our method combines the conjugate residual method with Richardson iteration. Special attention is paid to the determination of two real intervals, one on each side of the origin, that contain most of the eigenvalues of the matrix. These intervals are used to compute suitable iteration parameters for Richardson iteration. We also discuss when to switch between the methods. The hybrid scheme typically uses the Richardson method for most iterations, and this reduces the number of arithmetic vector operations significantly compared with the number of arithmetic vector operations required when only the conjugate residual method is used. Computed examples illustrate the competitiveness of the hybrid scheme.