Inverting non-invertible trees

TL;DR

This paper explores how to define a generalized inverse for the adjacency matrix of a tree, especially when the matrix is singular, extending previous work on invertible trees with unique perfect matchings.

Contribution

It introduces a formula for computing a generalized inverse of a tree's adjacency matrix using various types of matrix inverses.

Findings

Provides a formula for generalized inverse of a tree's adjacency matrix

Extends the concept of inverse trees to non-invertible cases

Connects generalized inverses with properties of trees and their matchings

Abstract

If a graph has a non-singular adjacency matrix, then one may use the inverse matrix to define a (labeled) graph that may be considered to be the inverse graph to the original one. It has been known that an adjacency matrix of a tree is non-singular if and only if the tree has a unique perfect matching; in this case the determinant of the matrix turns out to be $\pm 1$ and the inverse of the tree was shown to be `switching-equivalent' to a simple graph [C. Godsil, Inverses of Trees, Combinatorica 5 (1985), 33--39]. Using generalized inverses of symmetric matrices (that coincide with Moore-Penrose, Drazin, and group inverses in the symmetric case) we prove a formula for determining a `generalized inverse' of a tree.