The Moore-Penrose inverse of a free matrix

Abstract

A matrix is free, or generic, if its nonzero entries are algebraically independent.
Necessary and sufficient combinatorial conditions are presented for a complex free matrix to have a
free Moore-Penrose inverse. These conditions extend previously known results for square, nonsingular free matrices. The result used to prove this characterization relates the combinatorial structure of a free matrix to that of its Moore-Penrose inverse. Also, it is proved that the bipartite graph or, equivalently, the zero pattern of a free matrix uniquely determines that of its Moore-Penrose inverse, and this mapping is described explicitly. Finally, it is proved that a free matrix contains at most as many nonzero entries as does its Moore-Penrose inverse.