Eigenvalues of matrices with tree graphs (Q1262326)

The authors obtain qualitative properties of the spectrum of a matrix A by investigating its signed digraph SD(A), which records the signs of the nonzero entries of A; the equivalence class of matrices with the same signed digraph is Q(A). The general hypotheses are that A is irreducible, \(a_{ij}=0\) iff \(a_{ji}=0\) (every arc of SD(A) is in a 2-cycle), and SD(A) has no cycle of length \(>2\) (cf. title). A property of SD(A) is \(\lambda\)-consistency: there exist nonzero \(\lambda_ 1,...,\lambda_ n\) such that \(\lambda_ ia_{ii}\geq 0\) for all i and \(>0\) for some i, and \(\lambda_ ia_{ij}=-\lambda_ ja_{ji}\) for all \(i\neq j.\) Theorems 1 and 2 state: for some B in Q(A) there is a solution of \(\dot X=BX\), with no null entry, that is constant (resp., sinusoidal) iff SD(A) is not \(\lambda\)-consistent, and every end node has a loop (resp., and at least one 2-cycle has arcs with opposite signs). The condition of no null entry of X is eliminated, and multiple eigenvalues are considered, by introducing colorings that reflect the structure of SD(A).