Article ID Journal Published Year Pages File Type
4665090 Advances in Mathematics 2016 47 Pages PDF
Abstract

We discuss arrangements of equal minors of totally positive matrices. More precisely, we investigate the structure of equalities and inequalities between the minors. We show that arrangements of equal minors of largest value are in bijection with sorted sets, which earlier appeared in the context of alcoved polytopes and Gröbner bases. Maximal arrangements of this form correspond to simplices of the alcoved triangulation of the hypersimplex; and the number of such arrangements equals the Eulerian number. On the other hand, we prove in many cases that arrangements of equal minors of smallest value are weakly separated sets. Weakly separated sets, originally introduced by Leclerc and Zelevinsky, are closely related to the positive Grassmannian and the associated cluster algebra. However, we also construct examples of arrangements of smallest minors which are not weakly separated using chain reactions of mutations of plabic graphs.

Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering Mathematics Mathematics (General)
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