The Dittert's function on a set of nonnegative matrices (Q2644735)

Let \(K_ n\) denote the set of all \(n\times n\) nonnegative matrices the sum of whose entries is n. For \(X\in K_ n\) let \(\phi (X)=\prod_{i}\sum_{j}x_{ij}+\prod_{j}\sum_{i}x_{ij}-per X.\) Dittert's conjecture asserts that \(\phi (X)\leq 2-(n!)n^{-n}\) for all \(X\in K_ n\) with equality if and only if \(X=J_ n\), the \(n\times n\) matrix with every entry equal to \(n^{-1}\). For \(i,j=1,...,n\) and \(n>1\), let \(\phi_{ij}(X)=\prod_{s\neq i}\sum_{t}x_{st}+\prod_{t\neq j}\sum_{s}x_{st}-per X(i| j),\) where \(X\in K_ n\) and X(i\(| j)\) is the submatrix of X with the ith row and the jth column deleted. For \(A\in K_ n\) with \(\phi (A)>0\) define the \(n\times n\) matrix \(A^*=a^*_{ij}=\phi_{ij}(A)(\phi (A))^{-1},\) \(i,j=1,...,n\). For \(\Lambda \in K_ n\), \(A\in K_ n\) with \(\phi (A)>0\) is \(\Lambda\)- admissible if \(tr(\Lambda^ TA^*)>n\). It is shown that if \(A\in K_ n\) is such that \(\phi (A)=\max_{K_ n} \phi (B)\) and A is admissible by a positive matrix in \(K_ n\), then \(A=J_ n\). In particular, if \(A\in K_ n\) is positive semidefinite symmetric and \(\phi (A)=\max_{K_ n} \phi (B)\), then necessarily \(A=J_ n\). It is further shown that if \(A\in K_ n\) and if \((1-t)J_ n+tA\) is \(J_ n\)- admissible for each \(t<0<1\), then \(\phi\) is monotone decreasing on the straight line segment form \(J_ n\) to A. [There is an error in the reference given in the conjecture statement at the bottom of page 709: ``Marcus and Merris'' should be ``Minc''.]