Generalized polynomial bases and the Bézoutian (Q5961704)

The Bézout matrix of polynomials \(\psi(x), f(x)\) of degree \(\leq n\) is the \(n\times n\) symmetric matrix \(B(\psi,f)= [b_{ij}]\) defined by \((\psi(x)f(y)- \psi(y)f(x)/(x-y)=\sum b_{ij}x^iy^j\). Assume \(\psi(x)\) is monic of degree \(n\). The gist of the present paper and several predecessors is that similarity reduction of the companion matrix of \(\psi(x)\) to a direct sum of canonical blocks carries with it a corresponding block reduction of \(B(\psi,f)\) of congruence. NEWLINENEWLINENEWLINE\textit{G. Sansigre} and \textit{M. Alvarez} [Linear Algebra Appl. 121, 401-408 (1989; Zbl 0678.15021)] take the canonical blocks to be Jordan blocks. The present authors deal with the more general case where they are hypercompanion matrices, the generalized Vandermonde matrices of the earlier paper having more complicated, but equally explicit, counterparts. A central part is played by the symmetric bilinear form \(\langle f|g\rangle\) on the space of polynomials of degree \(\leq n\), whose matrix with respect to the natural basis is the inverse of the Hankel matrix \(B(\psi,1)\).