Path components of matrices and strong shift equivalence over \(Q^ +\) (Q2644737)

The authors study the problem of equivalence of strong shift equivalence and shift equivalence over \({\mathbb{R}}^+\) and \({\mathbb{Q}}^+\) for positive matrices. It is shown that two positive matrices A and B over \({\mathbb{Q}}^+\) or \({\mathbb{R}}^+\) which lie in the same component of a set \(\{M\in M_ n({\mathbb{R}}):\) M is positive and conjugate over \({\mathbb{R}}\) to \(A\}\) are strong shift equivalent. Also they show that if two matrices A and B over \({\mathbb{R}}^+\) are strong shift equivalent, then \(A\oplus 0\) and \(B\oplus 0\) can be joined by a path of nonnegative real matrices within the strong shift equivalence class of A, up to conjugation of \(B\oplus 0\) by a permutation matrix.