Degree Complexity of Birational Maps Related to Matrix Inversion

For a q × q matrix x = (x _{i, j} ) we let ${J(x)=(x_{i,j}^{-1})}For a q × q matrix x = (x _{i, j} ) we let J(x)=(x_i,j^-1){J(x)=(x_{i,j}^{-1})} be the Hadamard inverse, which takes the reciprocal of the elements of x. We let I(x)=(x_i,j)^-1{I(x)=(x_{i,j})^{-1}} denote the matrix inverse, and we define K=I°J{K=I\circ J} to be the birational map obtained from the composition of these two involutions. We consider the iterates Kⁿ=K°?°K{K^n=K\circ\cdots\circ K} and determine the degree complexity of K, which is the exponential rate of degree growth d(K)=lim_n?￥( deg(Kⁿ) )^1/n{\delta(K)=\lim_{n\to\infty}\left( deg(K^n) \right)^{1/n}} of the degrees of the iterates. Earlier studies of this map were restricted to cyclic matrices, in which case K may be represented by a simpler map. Here we show that for general matrices the value of δ(K) is equal to the value conjectured by Anglès d’Auriac, Maillard and Viallet.