Linear mappings which are rank-k nonincreasing, II

We prove the following result. Let F be an infinite field of characteristic other than two. Let k be a positive integer. Let S_n(F) denote the space of all n × n symmetric matrices with entries in F, and let T:S_n(F)→S_n(F) be a linear operator. Suppose that T is rank-k nonincreasing and its image contains a matrix with rank higher than K. Then, there exist λεF and PεF^n,n such that T(A)=λPAP^t for all AεS_n(F). λ can be chosen to be 1 if F is algebraically closed and ±1 if F=R, the real field.     

The maximun of i(XAX-1+B)

Let F be an algebraically closed field. We denote by i(A) the number of invariant polynomials of a square matrix A, which are different from 1. For A,B any n×n matrices over F, we calculate the maximum of i(XAX^-1+B), where X runs over the set of all non-singular n×n matrices over F.     

Local trace forms

Let F be a local field of characteristic ≠2 and K a Galois extension field of F of degree n. Then K can be viewed as a quadratic space over F under the bilinear form T(xy)=tr_K/Fxy for xyεK. The invariants of this form are given in the case when n is odd; when n is even and F is nondyadic; and when n is evesF dyadic, and K/F is unramifed.     

Products of involutory matrices. I

It is shown that, for every integer ≥1 and every field F, each n×n matrix over F of determinant ±1 is the product of four involutory matrices over F. Products of three ×n involutory matrices over F are characterized for the special cases where n≤4 or F has prime order ≤5. It is also shown for every field F that every matrix over F of determinant ±1 having no more than two nontrivial invariant factors is a product of three involutory matrices over F.     

The construction of irreducible normalized representations of the general linear group

A method is described for constructing in an explicit form an irreducible representation T of M_n(F), the set of all n × n matrices over the real or complex field F, satisfying the condition T(A^*)=T^*(A) for all A∈M_n(F).     

Chapter 4:algebraic sets, polynomials, and other functions

Let T be a linear operator on the vector space V ofn×n matrices over a field F. We discuss two types of problems in this chapter. First, what can we say about T if we assume that T maps a given algebraic set such as the special linear group into itself? Second, let p(x) be a polynomial function (such as det) on V into F. What can we say about T if Tpreserves p(x), i.e. p(T(X)) = p(X) for all X in V?     

Zero-term rank preservers

We obtain characterizations of those linear operators that preserve zero-term rank on the m×n matrices over antinegative semirings. That is, a linear operator T preserves zero-term rank if and only if it has the form T(X)=P(B∘X)Q, where P, Q are permutation matrices and B∘X is the Schur product with B whose entries are all nonzero and not zero-divisors.     

An edge version of the matrix-tree theorem and the wiener index

Let T be a tree on n vertices. The Laplacian matrix is L(T)=D(T)-A(T), where D(T) is the diagonal matrix of vertex degrees and A(T) is the adjacency matrix. A special case of the Matrix-Tree Theorem is that the adjugate of L(T) is the n-by-n matrix of l's. The (n-l)-square "edge version" of L(T)is K(T). The main result is a graph-theoretic interpretation of the entries of the adjugate of K(T). As an application, it is shown that the Wiener Index from chemistry is the trace of this adjugate.     

Products of complic cosquares and pseudo-involutory matrices

LetF be a field with (nontrivial) involution (i.e.F-conjugation). A nonsingular matrix Aover Fis called a complic F-cosquare provided A=S^*-1for some matrix Sover Fand is called p.i. (pseudo-involutory) provided A=A^-1 It is shown that Ais a complic F-cosquare iff Ais the product of two p.i. matrices over Fand that det (AA)=1 iff Ais the product of two complic F-cosquares (hence iff A is the product of four p.i. matrices over F). It is conjectured that, except for one obvious case (2 x 2 matrices over the field of order 2), every unimodular matrix A over an arbitrary field Fis a product S¹ST:1T with S1 and Tover FThis conjecture is proved for matricesAof order ≤3.     

Discriminant preserving linear maps

Consider the n-square matrices over an infiniie field Kas an n²-dimcnsional vector space M( nK). We determine all linear maps Ton M(nK) such that discriminant TX- discriminant Xfor all Xin M(nK)     

The maximal length of real trivectors of rank seven

Trivectors of rank seven over the complex number field have irreducible length less than or equal to four. Over the reals however this is not true. An example of a real trivector of rank seven and irreducible length five is presented. Then, in the notation of Busemann and Glassco, we have N(R, 7, 3) = 5 since for any field F we always have N(F ,7, 3) ≤ 5. This paper provides the first published example where N(F, n, r) ≠ N(K, n, r) for two different fields F and K.     

A matrix problem associated with computing Cohen-Macaulay type

Suppose A∈M_n×m(F), B∈M_n×t(F) for some field F. Define Г(AB) to be the set of n×n diagonal matrices D such that the column space of DA is contained in the column space of B. In this paper we determine dim Г(AB). For matrices AB of the same rank we provide an algorithm for computing dim Г(AB).     

Asymptotic bounds for some bipartite graph: complete graph Ramsey numbers

The Ramsey number r(H,K_n) is the smallest integer N so that each graph on N vertices that fails to contain H as a subgraph has independence number at least n. It is shown that r(K_2,m,K_n)(m−1+o(1))(n/log n)² and r(C_2m,K_n)c(n/log n)^m/(m−1) for m fixed and n→∞. Also r(K_2,n,K_n)=Θ(n³/log² n) and .     

All trees are 1-embeddable and all except stars are 2-embeddable

A graph G with n vertices is said to be embeddable (in its complement) if there is an automorphism φ of K_n such that E(G) ∩ E(φ(G))=. It is known that all trees T with n (≥2) vertices and T K_1,n−1 are embeddable. We say that G is 1-embeddable if, for every edge e, there is an automorphism φ of K_n such that E(G) ∩ E(φ(G))={e};and that it is 2-embeddable if,for every pair e₁, e₂ of edges, there is an automorphism φ of K_n such that E(G) ∩ E(φ(G))={e₁, e₂}. We prove here that all trees with n (3) vertices are 1-embeddable; and that all trees T with n (4) vertices and T K_1,n−1 are 2-embeddable. In a certain sense, this result is sharp.     

Linear preservers of matrices of rank-2

Let T be a linear operator on the space of all m×n matrices over any field. we prove that if T maps rank-2 matrices to rank-2 matrices then there exist nonsingular matrices U and V such that either T(X)=UXV for all matrices X, or m=n and T(X)=UX^tV for all matrices X where X^t denotes the transpose of X.     

Linear preserves of the permanent on symmetric matrices

We generalize the main result of [4], characterizing the linear preservers of the permanent on the space of n-square symmetric matrices over the field F, where n ≥ 3F has at least n elements and the characteristic of F is not 2.     

Commuting pairs and triples of matrices and related varieties

In this note, we show that the set of all commuting d-tuples of commuting n×n matrices that are contained in an n-dimensional commutative algebra is a closed set, and therefore, Gerstenhaber's theorem on commuting pairs of matrices is a consequence of the irreduciblity of the variety of commuting pairs. We show that the variety of commuting triples of 4×4 matrices is irreducible. We also study the variety of n-dimensional commutative subalgebras of M_n(F), and show that it is irreducible of dimension n²−n for n4, but reducible, of dimension greater than n²−n for n7.     

The rank of the difference of matrices with prescribed similarity classes

Let F be a field and let A,B be n × n matrices over I. We study the rank of A' - B' when A and B run over the set of matrices similar to A and B, respectively.     

Large spaces of symmetric matrices of bounded rank are decomposable

Let k and n be positive integers such that k≤n. Let S_n(F) denote the space of all n×n symmetric matrices over the field F with char F≠2. A subspace L of S_n(F) is said to be a k-subspace if rank A≤k for every AεL.

Now suppose that k is even, and write k=2r. We say a k∥-subspace of S_n(F) is decomposable if there exists in Fⁿ a subspace W of dimension n-r such that x^tAx=0 for every xεWAεL.

We show here, under some mild assumptions on kn and F, that every k∥-subspace of S_n(F) of sufficiently large dimension must be decomposable. This is an analogue of a result obtained by Atkinson and Lloyd for corresponding subspaces of F^m,n.     

Minimum permanents of doubly stochastic matrices with at least one zero entry

It is shown that the minimum value of the permanent on the n× ndoubly stochastic matrices which contain at least one zero entry is achieved at those matrices nearest to J_nin Euclidean norm, where J_nis the n× nmatrix each of whose entries is n^-1. In case n ≠ 3 the minimum permanent is achieved only at those matrices nearest J_n; for n= 3 it is achieved at other matrices containing one or more zero entries as well.