Branch duplication for the construction of multiple eigenvalues in an Hermitian matrix whose graph is a tree

Suppose that the eigenvalues of an Hermitian matrix A whose graph is a tree T are known, as well as the eigenvalues of the principal submatrix of A corresponding to a certain branch of T. A method for constructing a larger tree T ', in which the branch is ‘`duplicated’', and an Hermitian matrix A′ whose graph is T ' is described. The eigenvalues of A' are all of those of A, together with those corresponding to the branch, including multiplicities. This idea is applied (1) to give a solution to the inverse eigenvalue problem for stars, (2) to prove that the known diameter lower bound, for the minimum number of distinct eigenvalues among Hermitian matrices with a given graph, is best possible for trees of bounded diameter, and (3) to increase the list of trees for which all possible lists for the possible spectra are know. A generalization of the basic branch duplication method is presented.

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