Integer matrix factorisations, superalgebras and the quadratic form obstruction (Q2029876)

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 \(2w^2 + x^2_1 + x_1x_2 + x_1x_3 +x^2_2 + x_2x_3 + x^2_3 = 952\).