Conditionally positive functions and p-norm distance matrices (Q810780)

This paper shows that, for any \(p\in (1,2)\), and for instinct points \(x^ 1,...,x^ n\in {\mathcal R}^ d\), where n and d may be any positive integers, with the proviso that \(n\geq 2\), the distance matrix \(A\in {\mathcal R}^{n\times n}\) defined by \(A_{ij}=\| x^ i-x^ j\|_ p\) for \(1\leq i,j\leq n\) satisfies \((-1)^{n-1}\det A>0\). This paper also shows how to construct, for every \(p>2\), a configuration of distinct points in some \({\mathcal R}^ d\) giving a singular p-norm distance matrix. Thus radial basis function interpolation using p-norms is uniquely determined by any distinct data for \(p\in (1,2]\), but not so for \(p>2\).