Generic Classification and Asymptotic Enumeration of Dope Matrices

Abstract

For a complex polynomial $P$ of degree $n$ and an $m$-tuple of distinct complex numbers $\Lambda=(\lambda_1,\ldots,\lambda_m)$, the dope matrix $D_P(\Lambda)$ is defined as the $m \times (n+1)$ matrix $(c)_{ij}$ with $c_{ij} =1$ if $P^{(j)}(\lambda_i)=0$ and $c_{ij}=0$ otherwise. We classify the set of dope matrices when the entries of $\Lambda$ are algebraically independent, resolving a conjecture of Alon, Kravitz, and O'Bryant. We also provide asymptotic upper and lower bounds on the total number of $m \times (n+1)$ dope matrices. For $m$ much smaller than $n$, these bounds give an asymptotic estimate of the logarithm of the number of $m \times (n+1)$ dope matrices.