Stiefel tropical linear spaces

Abstract

The tropical Stiefel map associates to a tropical matrix A its tropical Pluecker vector of maximal minors, and thus a tropical linear space L(A). We call the L(A)s obtained in this way Stiefel tropical linear spaces. We prove that they are dual to certain matroid subdivisions of polytopes of transversal matroids, and we relate their combinatorics to a canonically associated tropical hyperplane arrangement. We also explore a broad connection with the secondary fan of the Newton polytope of the product of all maximal minors of a matrix. In addition, we investigate the natural parametrization of L(A) arising from the tropical linear map defined by A.