Toward solution of matrix equation X=Af(X)B+C

This paper studies the solvability, existence of unique solution, closed-form solution and numerical solution of matrix equation X=Af(X)B+C with f(X)=XT, and f(X)=XH, where X is the unknown. It is proven that the solvability of these equations is equivalent to the solvability of some auxiliary standard Stein equations in the form of W=AWB+C where the dimensions of the coefficient matrices A,B and C are the same as those of the original equation. Closed-form solutions of equation X=Af(X)B+C can then be obtained by utilizing standard results on the standard Stein equation. On the other hand, some generalized Stein iterations and accelerated Stein iterations are proposed to obtain numerical solutions of equation X=Af(X)B+C. Necessary and sufficient conditions are established to guarantee the convergence of the iterations.