Unicity of minimal rank completions for tri-diagonal partial block matrices (Q5932186)

The authors consider the minimal rank completion problem for partial matrices over a field \(\mathbb{F}\) not equal to \(\{0,1\}\). Here a partial matrix is one with only some of its entries specified. A particular choice for the remainder results in a completion of the partial matrix. The authors establish necessary and sufficient conditions for a minimal rank completion of a tridiagonal partial block matrix to be unique. The case of \(4\times 4\) block matrices with four consecutive diagonals is also considered, along with its application to the problem of completing a matrix and its inverse.