On generators of bounded ratios of minors for totally positive matrices

We provide a method for factoring all bounded ratios of the formdetA(I1|I1′)detA(I2|I2′)/detA(J1|J1′)detA(J2|J2′)where A is a totally positive matrix, into a product of more elementary ratios each of which is bounded by 1, thus giving a new proof of Skandera’s result. The approach we use generalizes the one employed by Fallat et al. in their work on principal minors. We also obtain a new necessary condition for a ratio to be bounded for the case of non-principal minors.