Off-diagonally symmetric alternating sign matrices

Abstract

A diagonally symmetric alternating sign matrix (DSASM) is a symmetric matrix with entries $-1$, $0$ and $1$, where the nonzero entries alternate in sign along each row and column, and the sum of the entries in each row and column equals $1$. An off-diagonally symmetric alternating sign matrix (OSASM) is a DSASM, where the number of nonzero diagonal entries is 0 for even-order matrices and 1 for odd-order matrices. Kuperberg (Ann. Math., 2002) studied even-order OSASMs and derived a product formula for counting the number of OSASMs of any fixed even order. In this work, we provide a product formula for the number of odd-order OSASMs of any fixed order. Additionally, we present an algebraic proof of a symmetry property for even-order OSASMs. This resolves all the three conjectures of Behrend, Fischer, and Koutschan (arXiv, 2023) regarding the exact enumeration of OSASMs.