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On nonnegative integer matrices and short killing words

Abstract:
Let n be a natural number, and let \scrM be a set of n\times n-matrices over the nonnegative integers such that the joint spectral radius of \scrM is at most one. We show that if the zero matrix 0 is a product of matrices in \scrM , then there are M1, . . . , Mn5 \in \scrM with M1 \cdot \cdot \cdot Mn5 = 0. This result has applications in automata theory and the theory of codes. Specifically, if X \subset \Sigma \ast is a finite incomplete code, then there exists a word w \in \Sigma \ast of length polynomial in \sum x\in X | x| such that w is not a factor of any word in X\ast . This proves a weak version of Restivo's conjecture.
Publication status:
Published
Peer review status:
Peer reviewed

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Publisher copy:
10.1137/19M1250893

Authors


More by this author
Institution:
University of Oxford
Division:
MPLS
Department:
Computer Science
Oxford college:
St John's College
Role:
Author
ORCID:
0000-0003-4173-6877



Publisher:
Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics
Journal:
SIAM Journal on Discrete Mathematics More from this journal
Volume:
35
Issue:
2
Pages:
1252-1267
Publication date:
2021-06-09
Acceptance date:
2021-02-25
DOI:


Language:
English
Keywords:
Pubs id:
1163654
Local pid:
pubs:1163654
Deposit date:
2021-02-26

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