Branch duplication for the construction of multiple eigenvalues in an Hermitian matrix whose graph is a tree

Suppose that the eigenvalues of an Hermitian matrix A whose graph is a tree T are known, as well as the eigenvalues of the principal submatrix of A corresponding to a certain branch of T. A method for constructing a larger tree T?', in which the branch is ‘`duplicated’', and an Hermitian matrix A′ whose graph is T?' is described. The eigenvalues of A' are all of those of A, together with those corresponding to the branch, including multiplicities. This idea is applied (1) to give a solution to the inverse eigenvalue problem for stars, (2) to prove that the known diameter lower bound, for the minimum number of distinct eigenvalues among Hermitian matrices with a given graph, is best possible for trees of bounded diameter, and (3) to increase the list of trees for which all possible lists for the possible spectra are know. A generalization of the basic branch duplication method is presented.