English

Sign patterns that require $\mathbb{H}_n$ exist for each $n\geq 4$

Combinatorics 2017-10-26 v1

Abstract

The refined inertia of a square real matrix AA is the ordered 44-tuple (n+,n,nz,2np)(n_+, n_-, n_z, 2n_p), where n+n_+ (resp., nn_-) is the number of eigenvalues of AA with positive (resp., negative) real part, nzn_z is the number of zero eigenvalues of AA, and 2np2n_p is the number of nonzero pure imaginary eigenvalues of AA. For n3n \geq 3, the set of refined inertias Hn={(0,n,0,0),(0,n2,0,2),(2,n2,0,0)}\mathbb{H}_n=\{(0, n, 0, 0), (0, n-2, 0, 2), (2, n-2, 0, 0)\} is important for the onset of Hopf bifurcation in dynamical systems. We say that an n×nn\times n sign pattern A{\cal A} requires Hn\mathbb{H}_n if Hn={ri(B)BQ(A)}\mathbb{H}_n=\{\text{ri}(B) | B \in Q({\cal A})\}. Bodine et al. conjectured that no n×nn\times n irreducible sign pattern that requires Hn\mathbb{H}_n exists for nn sufficiently large, possibly n8n\ge 8. However, for each n4n \geq 4, we identify three n×nn\times n irreducible sign patterns that require Hn\mathbb{H}_n, which resolves this conjecture.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1710.08955,
  title  = {Sign patterns that require $\mathbb{H}_n$ exist for each $n\geq 4$},
  author = {Wei Gao and Zhongshan Li and Lihua Zhang},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1710.08955},
  year   = {2017}
}
R2 v1 2026-06-22T22:24:35.004Z