Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy

Program

Applied Mathematics

Supervisor

Corless, Robert M.

2nd Supervisor

Moreno Maza, Marc

Co-Supervisor

Abstract

This thesis develops several algorithms for working with matrices whose entries are multivariate polynomials in a set of parameters. Such parametric linear systems often appear in biology and engineering applications where the parameters represent physical properties of the system. Some computations on parametric matrices, such as the rank and Jordan canonical form, are discontinuous in the parameter values. Understanding where these discontinuities occur provides a greater understanding of the underlying system.

Algorithms for computing a complete case discussion of the rank, Zigzag form, and the Jordan canonical form of parametric matrices are presented. These algorithms use the theory of regular chains to provide a unified framework allowing for algebraic or semi-algebraic constraints on the parameters. Corresponding implementations for each algorithm in the Maple computer algebra system are provided.

In some applications, all entries may be parameters whose values are limited to finite sets of integers. Such matrices appear in applications such as graph theory where matrix entries are limited to the sets {0, 1}, or {-1, 0, 1}. These types of parametric matrices can be explored using different techniques and exhibit many interesting properties.

A family of Bohemian matrices is a set of low to moderate dimension matrices where the entries are independently sampled from a finite set of integers of bounded height. Properties of Bohemian matrices are studied including the distributions of their eigenvalues, symmetries, and integer sequences arising from properties of the families. These sequences provide connections to other areas of mathematics and have been archived in the Characteristic Polynomial Database. A study of two families of structured matrices: upper Hessenberg and upper Hessenberg Toeplitz, and properties of their characteristic polynomials are presented.

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