On the computation of the Smith normal form of compound matrices

Compound matrices are encountered in many fields such as Matrix Theory, Systems Theory, Control Theory, etc. In the present paper we develop an efficient algorithm computing the Smith normal form of compound matrices. This algorithm is based on a new theorem establishing an equivalence relation between the Smith normal form of the compounds of a given matrix and the compounds of the Smith normal form of the given matrix. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.