On the relation between weighted trees and tropical Grassmannians

DOI10.1016/J.JSC.2009.03.001MaRDI QIDQ1023271zbMATH OpenOpenAlexFDO

Authors Filip Cools

Publication date 11 June 2009

Published in Journal of Symbolic Computation (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/0903.2010

zbMATH Keywords

dissimilarity vectorGrassmanniantropical Geometryweighted tree

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Trees (05C05) Classical problems, Schubert calculus (14N15)

Abstract: In this article, we will prove that the set of 4-dissimilarity vectors of n-trees is contained in the tropical Grassmannian G_{4,n}. We will also propose three equivalent conjectures related to the set of m-dissimilarity vectors of n-trees for the case m > 4. Using a computer algebra system, we can prove these conjectures for m = 5.

Review text

If \(T\) is an \(n\)--leaved metric tree and \(D(i,j)\) is the distance between leaf \(i\) and leaf \(j\), then the zero diagonal, symmetric real matrix \(D\) is called the dissimilarity matrix associated to \(T\). A theorem of \textit{P. Buneman} [J. Comb. Theory, Ser. B 17, 48--50 (1974; Zbl 0286.05102)] characterizes dissimilarity matrices as those zero diagonal, symmetric real matrices satisfying the \textit{four--point condition} as follows: for each \(i,j,k,l\in\{1,\ldots,n\}\) not necessarily different, the maximum \(\max\{D(i,j)+D(k,l), D(i,k)+D(j,l), D(i,l)+D(j,k)\}\) is attained, at least, twice. In today's language, this is a tropical vanishing condition! The notion of dissimilarity matrix (\(m=2\)) is generalized to that of family of \(m\)--dissimilarity vectors (for \(2\leq m<n\)). The main theorem of the paper proves that the family of \(4\)--dissimilarity vectors is contained in the tropical Grassmannian \(\mathcal G_{4,n}\). This follows the trace of a theorem of \textit{D. Speyer} and \textit{B. Sturmfels} [Adv. Geom. 4, No. 3, 389--411 (2004; Zbl 1065.14071)] claiming that the family of \(2\)--dissimilarity vectors equals the tropical Grassmannian \(\mathcal G_{2,n}\) and a theorem of \textit{C. Bocci} and the author [Appl. Math. Comput. 212, No. 2, 349--356 (2009; Zbl 1220.05016)] relating the family of \(3\)--dissimilarity vectors to the tropical Grassmannian \(\mathcal G_{3,n}\). It is conjectured that the main theorem holds true for any \(m\geq5\). The conjecture has been checked out for \(m=5\), using a computer algebra system.

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• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 6683591
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Cites work

• A note on the metric properties of trees
• A tropical interpretation of \(m\)-dissimilarity maps
• Algebraic Statistics for Computational Biology
• The tropical Grassmannian

Cited in

(9)

• Tiered trees, weights, and \(q\)-Eulerian numbers
• A combinatorial formula for principal minors of a matrix with tree-metric exponents and its applications
• Dissimilarity vectors of trees are contained in the tropical Grassmannian
• The split decomposition of a \(k\)-dissimilarity map
• On dissimilarity vectors of general weighted trees
• Dissimilarity maps on trees and the representation theory of \(\mathrm{GL}_n(\mathbb{C})\)
• Dissimilarity maps on trees and the representation theory of \(\mathrm{SL}_{m}(\mathbb C)\)
• The maximum four point condition matrix of a tree
• Sets of double and triple weights of trees

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