Integer matrix factorisations, superalgebras and the quadratic form obstruction (Q2029876): Difference between revisions

It is known that if \(n \leq 7\) and \(M\) is an \(n \times n\) symmetric positive definite matrix with integer entries and determinant \(1\), then a factorisation \(M = N^T N\) with \(N\) an \(n \times n\) matrix with integer entries exists. However, there are examples of such matrices with dimension \(n = 8\) which cannot be factorised in this way. This factorisation can be used to write the quadratic form \(q(x)\) as a sum of squares of \(n\) linear factors. When \(n = 8\), such a factorisation may not exist. The authors prove that the existence of integer solutions to a certain quadratic equation is a necessary condition for a matrix factorisation of the type \(M = N^2 \) or \(M = N^T N\) (for symmetric positive definite \(M\)) to exist. They note that solutions to this new type of quadratic equation associated with a given integer matrix \(M\) can also lead to rational matrix factors \(N\) with entries in \(\frac{1}{n^2} \mathbb{Z}\). The authors observe that the question of factorising the Wilson matrix in the form \(W = Z^T Z\) is associated with the problem of finding the solutions of the quadratic equation \(2w^2 + x^2_1 + x_1x_2 + x_1x_3 +x^2_2 + x_2x_3 + x^2_3 = 952\).