TITLE: Is this function convex when the input vector is positive?
QUESTION [5 upvotes]: I am wondering if $f(\mathbf{x})$ is convex on the input of a vector of $n$ positive reals $\mathbf{x}$:
$$f(\mathbf{x})=\operatorname{Tr}[(\mathbf{A}+\operatorname{diag}(\mathbf{x}))^{-1}]$$
where $\mathbf{A}$ is a positive-definite $n\times n$ matrix of reals, $\operatorname{diag}(\mathbf{x})$ returns a diagonal matrix with values from $\mathbf{x}$ placed on the diagonal, and $\operatorname{Tr}[\mathbf{M}]$ is the trace of matrix $\mathbf{M}$.
I understand that I can prove convexity via taking the second derivative, but I am not sure how to it in the matrix case.  I also know that for positive-definite $\mathbf{A}$, $g(\mathbf{y})=\frac{1}{2}\mathbf{y}^T\mathbf{A}\mathbf{y}+\mathbf{y}^T\mathbf{b}$ is strictly convex, but I am not sure how that applies here (if it applies at all).

REPLY [3 votes]: Consider $g(t) = {\bf u}^T (C + tB)^{-1} \bf u$ for any real vector $\bf u$, where $C$ and $B$ are real symmetric matrices and $C+tB$ is positive definite. Note that the first derivative of $(C + tB)^{-1}$ with respect to $t$ is $- (C + tB)^{-1} B (C + tB)^{-1}$, and the second derivative is  $2 (C+tB)^{-1} B (C+tB)^{-1} B (C+tB)^{-1}$.  So $$g''(t) = 2 {\bf u}^T (C+tB)^{-1} B (C+tB)^{-1} B (C+tB)^{-1} {\bf u} = 2 {\bf v}^T (C+tB)^{-1} \bf v$$ where ${\bf v} = B (C+tB)^{-1} \bf u$. Since $(C+tB)^{-1}$ is positive definite when $C+tB$ is positive definite, $g''(t) \ge 0$, i.e. $g$ is convex as long as $C+tB$ is positive definite.
Now $Tr (C+tB)^{-1} = \sum_j {\bf u}_j^T (C+tB)^{-1} {\bf u}_j$ for an orthonormal basis ${\bf u}_j$, so this is also convex.  And
$f(t {\bf x} + (1-t) {\bf y})$ is of this form, with $C = A + \text{diag}({\bf y})$ and $B = \text{diag}({\bf x} - {\bf y})$, when $0 \le t \le 1$ (note that for $0 \le t \le 1$, $t {\bf x} + (1-t) {\bf y}$ has nonnegative entries, and the sum of a positive definite matrix and a nonnegative diagonal matrix is positive definite).  That says $f$ is convex.