English

Generating all invertible matrices by row operations

Combinatorics 2024-10-08 v2

Abstract

We show that all invertible n×nn \times n matrices over any finite field Fq\mathbb{F}_q can be generated in a Gray code fashion. More specifically, there exists a listing such that (1) each matrix appears exactly once, and (2) two consecutive matrices differ by adding or subtracting one row from a previous or subsequent row, or by multiplying or diving a row by the generator of the multiplicative group of Fq\mathbb{F}_q. This even holds if the addition and subtraction of each row is allowed to some specific rows satisfying a certain mild condition. Moreover, we can prescribe the first and the last matrix if n3n\ge 3, or n=2n=2 and q>2q>2. In other words, the corresponding flip graph on all invertible n×nn \times n matrices over Fq\mathbb{F}_q is Hamilton connected if it is not a cycle. This solves yet another special case of Lov\'{a}sz conjecture on Hamiltonicity of vertex-transitive graphs.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2405.01863,
  title  = {Generating all invertible matrices by row operations},
  author = {Petr Gregor and Hung P. Hoang and Arturo Merino and Ondřej Mička},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2405.01863},
  year   = {2024}
}

Comments

23 pages, 7 figures, extended abstract in ISAAC 2024

R2 v1 2026-06-28T16:15:09.077Z