The wreath matrix

Let $k\le n$ be positive integers and ${\mathbb{Z}}_n$ be the set of integers modulo $n$. A conjecture of Baranyai from 1974 asks for a decomposition of $k$-element subsets of ${\mathbb{Z}}_n$ into particular families of sets called “wreaths”. We approach this conjecture from a new algebraic angle by introducing the key object of this paper, the wreath matrix $M$. As our first result, we establish that Baranyai’s conjecture is equivalent to the existence of a particular vector in the kernel of $M$. We then employ results from representation theory to study $M$ and its spectrum in detail. In particular, we find all eigenvalues of $M$ and their multiplicities, and identify several families of vectors which lie in the kernel of $M$.