Local linear convergence of alternating projections in metric spaces with bounded curvature

Abstract: We consider the popular and classical method of alternating projections for finding a point in the intersection of two closed sets. By situating the algorithm in a metric space, equipped only with well-behaved geodesics and angles (in the sense of Alexandrov), we are able to highlight the two key geometric ingredients in a standard intuitive analysis of local linear convergence. The first is a transversality-like condition on the intersection; the second is a convexity-like condition on one set: "uniform approximation by geodesics."