Permanents of special classes of doubly stochastic matrices

We identify the doubly stochastic matrices with at least one zero entry which are closest in the Euclidean norm to J_n, the matrix with each entry equal to 1/n, and we show that at these matrices the permanent function has a relative minimum when restricted to doubly stochastic matrices having zero entries.     

Minimum permanents of doubly stochastic matrices with zero main diagonal

The permanent function on the set of n×n doubly stochastic matrices with zero main diagonal attains a strict local minimum at the matrix whose off diagonal entries are all equal to 1/(n-1).     

Multiplicative properties of generalized matrix functions

We consider scalar-valued matrix functions for n×n matrices A=(a_ij) defined by Where G is a subgroup of S_n the group of permutations on n letters, and χ is a linear character of G. Two such functions are the permanent and the determinant. A function (1) is multiplicative on a semigroup S of n×n matrices if d(AB)=d(A)d(B) AB∈S.

With mild restrictions on the underlying scalar ring we show that every element of a semigroup containing the diagonal matrices on which (1) is multiplicative can have at most one nonzero diagonal(i.e., diagonal with all nonzero entries)and conversely, provided that χ is the principal character(χ≡1).     

On the permanent of doubly stochastic matrices with zero diagonal

The permanent function on the set of n×n doubly stochastic matrices with zero main diagonaln≤4, attains its minimum uniquely at the matrix whose off-diagonal entries are all equal to l/(n-1).     

Permanents of doubly stochastic matrices with fixed zero pattern

The doubly stochastic matrices with a given zero pattern which are closest in Euclidean norm to J_nn, the matrix with each entry equal to 1/n, are identified. If the permanent is restricted to matrices having a given zero pattern confined to one row or to one column, the permanent achieves a local minimum at those matrices with that zero pattern which are closest to J_nn. This need no longer be true if the zeros lie in more than one row or column.     

On controllability of partially prescribed matrices

Let A₁and A₂be matrices of sizes m×m and m×n, respectively. Suppose that some of the entries under the main diagonal of A₁ are unknown and all the other entries of [A₁ A₂] are constant. We study the existence of a completely controllable completion of (A₁,A₂) and generalize a previous result on the same problem.     

Inertially arbitrary patterns

An n×n sign pattern matrix A is an inertially arbitrary pattern (IAP) if each non-negative triple (rst) with r+s+t=n is the inertia of a matrix with sign pattern A. This paper considers the n×n(n≥2) skew-symmetric sign pattern S_n with each upper off-diagonal entry positive, the (1,1) entry negative, the (nn) entry positive, and every other diagonal entry zero. We prove that S_n is an IAP.     

On the inertia of the Lyapunov transform AH+HA* for H >0

Given an arbitrary n×n matrix A with complex entries, we characterize all inertia triples (abc) that are attained by the Lyapunov transform AH+ HA^*, as H varies over the set of all n× n positive definite matrices.     

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_n in Euclidean norm, where J_n is 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.     

The asymptotic number of non-negative integer matrices with given row and column sums

Asymptotics are obtained for the number of m×n non-negative integer matrices subject to the following constraints: (i) each row and each column sum is specified and bounded, (ii) the entries are bounded, and (iii) a specified “sparse” set of entries must be zero. The result can be interpreted in terms of incidence matrices for labeled digraphs.     

A formula for the number of Latin squares

We establish an explicit formula for the number of Latin squares of order n:

, where B_n is the set of n×n(0,1) matrices, σ₀(A is the number of zero elements of the matrix A and per A is the permanent of the matrix A.     

Answers to questions posed by Richman and Schneider

This paper provides a counterexample to three questions posed by Richman and Schneider in a recent paper concerning primes in the semigroup N_nof n×n nonnegative matrices.     

A result about determinantal divisors

Let Rbe a principal ideal ringR_n the ring of n× nmatrices over R, and d_k(A) the kth determinantal divisor of Afor 1 ≤ k≤ n, where Ais any element of R_n, It is shown that if A,BεR_n, det(A) det(B:) ≠ 0, then d_k(AB) ≡ 0 mod d_k(A) d_k(B). If in addition (det(A), det(B)) = 1, then it is also shown that d_k(AB) = d_k(A) d_k(B). This provides a new proof of the multiplicativity of the Smith normal form for matrices with relatively prime determinants.     

Linear operators preserving unitarily invariant norms of matrices

Let F_{m × n} be the set of all m × n matrices over the field F = C or R Denote by U_n(F) the group of all n × n unitary or orthogonal matrices according as F = C or F-R. A norm N() on Fm ×n, is unitarily invariant if N(UAV) = N(A): for all A ∈ F _m×n U ∈ U_m(F). and V ∈ U_n(F). We characterize those linear operators TF_{m × n} → F_{m × n}which satisfy N (T(A)) = N(A)for all A ∈ F_{m × n}

for a given unitarily invariant norm N(). It is shown that the problem is equivalent to characterizing those operators which preserve certain subsets in F_{m × n} To develop the theory we prove some results concerning unitary operators on F_{m × n} which are of independent interest.     

Nonchordal positive semidefinite stochastic matrices

Let K_nbe the convex set of n×npositive semidefinite doubly stochastic matrices. If Aε k_n, the graph of A,G(A), is the graph on n vertices with (i,j) an edge if a_ij ≠ 0i≠ j. We are concerned with the extreme points in K_n. In many cases, the rank of Aand G(A) are enough to determine whether A is extreme in K_n. This is true, in particular, if G(A)is a special kind of nonchordal graph, i.e., if no two cycles in G(A)have a common edge.     

Note on a paper of thompson: the congruence numerical range

Given n×n Complex matrices A, Cdefine the C-congruence numerical range of A to be the set [ILM0001]. R.C. Thompson has characterized R_C(A) when [ILM0002] are fixed complex numbers. In this note. we obtain some analogous results about R_t(A) when C is skew symmmetric and a simple proof of the result of Thompson is given.Moreover, we characterize a certain set of partial off diagonals under congruence unitary transformation.     

A note on commuting pairs of matrices

We give a short proof of the Motzkin-Taussky result that the variety of commuting pairs of matrices is irreducible. An easy consequence of this is that any two generated commutative subalgebra of n×n matrices has dimension at most n. We also answer an old question of Gerstenhaber by showing that the set of commuting triples of n×n matrices is not irreducible for n≥32.     

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.     

A characterization of linear transformations which leave the doubly stochastic matrices

A characterization of linear transformations which leave the n×n doubly stochastic matrices invariant is given as a linear combination of functions of the type T(X)=AXB with certain restrictions posed on the n×n matrices A and B.     

Existence of matrices with prescribed eigenvalues and entries

It is proved improving a previous result of Oliveira that apart from two exceptions there always exists an n×n matrix with arbitarily prescribed 2n-3 entries and spectrum. Moreover, it is shown that the number 2n 3 of prescribed entries cannot be increased.