Vector space bases associated to vanishing ideals of points

In this paper we discuss four different constructions of vector space bases associated to vanishing ideals of points. We show how to compute normal forms with respect to these bases and give new complexity bounds. As an application, we drastically improve the computational algebra approach to the reverse engineering of gene regulatory networks.     

Effective formulas for the ?ojasiewicz exponent at infinity

We give effective formulas for the ?ojasiewicz exponent at infinity of an arbitrary complex polynomial mapping.     

Effective computation of singularities of parametric affine curves

Let k be a field of characteristic zero and f(t),g(t) be polynomials in k[t]. For a plane curve parameterized by x=f(t),y=g(t), Abhyankar developed the notion of Taylor resultant (Mathematical Surveys and Monographs, Vol. 35, American Mathematical Society, Providence, RI, 1990) which enables one to find its singularities without knowing its defining polynomial. This concept was generalized as D-resultant by Yu and Van den Essen (Proc. Amer. Math. Soc. 125(3) (1997) 689), which works over an arbitrary field. In this paper, we extend this to a curve in affine n-space parameterized by x₁=f₁(t),…,x_n=f_n(t) over an arbitrary ground field k, where f₁,…,f_n∈k[t]. This approach compares to the usual approach of computing the ideal of the curve first. It provides an efficient algorithm of computing the singularities of such parametric curves using Gröbner bases. Computational examples worked out by symbolic computation packages are included.     

Projective modules over smooth, affine varieties over Archimedean real closed fields

Let be a smooth, affine variety of dimension n≥2 over the field R of real numbers. Let P be a projective A-module of such that its nth Chern class is zero. In this set-up, Bhatwadekar-Das-Mandal showed (amongst many other results) that P?A⊕Q in the case that either n is odd or the topological space X(R) of real points of X does not have a compact, connected component. In this paper, we prove that similar results hold for smooth, affine varieties over an Archimedean real closed field .     

Fat point embeddings in affine space

We show that any fat point (local punctual scheme) has at most one embedding in the affine space up to analytic equivalence. If the algebra of functions of the fat point admits a non-trivial grading over the non-negative integers, we prove that it has at most one embedding up to algebraic equivalence. However, we give an example of a fat point having algebraically non-equivalent embeddings in the affine plane.     

Algebra of bounded polynomials on a set Zariski closed at infinity cannot be finitely generated

We prove that if a set S⊂Rⁿ$S\subset {\mathbb{R}}^n$ is Zariski closed at infinity, then the algebra of polynomials bounded on S cannot be finitely generated. It is a new proof of a fact already known to Plaumann and Scheiderer (2012) [1]. On the way we show that if the ring R[_ζ1,…,_ζk]⊂R[X]$\mathbb{R}[{\zeta }_1,\dots ,{\zeta }_k]\subset \mathbb{R}[X]$ contains the ideal (_ζ1,…,_ζk)R[X]$({\zeta }_1,\dots ,{\zeta }_k)\mathbb{R}[X]$, then the mapping (_ζ1,…,_ζk):Rⁿ→R^k$({\zeta }_1,\dots ,{\zeta }_k):{\mathbb{R}}^n\to {\mathbb{R}}^k$ is finite.     

Combinatorial bounds on Hilbert functions of fat points in projective space

We study Hilbert functions of certain non-reduced schemes A supported at finite sets of points in , in particular, fat point schemes. We give combinatorially defined upper and lower bounds for the Hilbert function of A using nothing more than the multiplicities of the points and information about which subsets of the points are linearly dependent. When N=2, we give these bounds explicitly and we give a sufficient criterion for the upper and lower bounds to be equal. When this criterion is satisfied, we give both a simple formula for the Hilbert function and combinatorially defined upper and lower bounds on the graded Betti numbers for the ideal I_A defining A, generalizing results of Geramita et al. (2006) [16]. We obtain the exact Hilbert functions and graded Betti numbers for many families of examples, interesting combinatorially, geometrically, and algebraically. Our method works in any characteristic.     

Polynomial images of R

Let R be a real closed field and n?2. We prove that: (1) for every finite subset F of Rⁿ, the semialgebraic set Rⁿ?F is a polynomial image of Rⁿ; and (2) for any independent linear forms l₁,…,l_r of Rⁿ, the semialgebraic set {l₁>0,…,l_r>0}⊂Rⁿ is a polynomial image of Rⁿ.     

Linear subspaces,symbolic powers and Nagata type conjectures

Inspired by results of Guardo, Van Tuyl and the second author for lines in P³${\mathbb{P}}^3$, we develop asymptotic upper bounds for the least degree of a homogeneous form vanishing to order at least m on a union of disjoint r  -dimensional planes in Pⁿ${\mathbb{P}}^n$ for n?2r+1$n?2r+1$. These considerations lead to new conjectures that suggest that the well known conjecture of Nagata for points in P²${\mathbb{P}}^2$ is not an exotic statement but rather a manifestation of a much more general phenomenon which seems to have been overlooked so far.     

Zero–nonzero and real–nonreal sign determination

We consider first the zero–nonzero determination problem, which consists in determining the list of zero–nonzero conditions realized by a finite list of polynomials on a finite set Z⊂C^k$Z\subset {\mathrm{C}}^k$ with C an algebraic closed field. We describe an algorithm to solve the zero–nonzero determination problem and we perform its bit complexity analysis. This algorithm, which is in many ways an adaptation of the methods used to solve the more classical sign determination problem, presents also new ideas which can be used to improve sign determination. Then, we consider the real–nonreal sign determination problem, which deals with both the sign determination and the zero–nonzero determination problem. We describe an algorithm to solve the real–nonreal sign determination problem, we perform its bit complexity analysis and we discuss this problem in a parametric context.     

Triangulable locally nilpotent derivations in dimension three

In this paper we give an algorithm to recognize triangulable locally nilpotent derivations in dimension three. In case the given derivation is triangulable, our method produces a coordinate system in which it exhibits a triangular form.     

Images of locally finite derivations of polynomial algebras in two variables

In this paper we show that the image of any locally finite k-derivation of the polynomial algebra k[x,y] in two variables over a field k of characteristic zero is a Mathieu subspace. We also show that the two-dimensional Jacobian conjecture is equivalent to the statement that the image of every k-derivation D of k[x,y] such that and is a Mathieu subspace of k[x,y].     

On the recognition problem of quasi-homogeneous locally nilpotent derivations in dimension three

We give a criterion to decide if a given w-homogeneous derivation on A?k[X₁,X₂,X₃] is locally nilpotent. We deduce an algorithm which decides if a k-subalgebra of A, which is finitely generated by w-homogeneous elements, is the kernel of some locally nilpotent derivation.     

Invariant hypersurfaces for derivations in positive characteristic

Let A be an integral k-algebra of finite type over an algebraically closed field k of characteristic p>0. Given a collection D of k-derivations on A, that we interpret as algebraic vector fields on , we study the group spanned by the hypersurfaces V(f) of X invariant under D modulo the rational first integrals of D. We prove that this group is always a finite dimensional F_p-vector space, and we give an estimate for its dimension. This is to be related to the results of Jouanolou and others on the number of hypersurfaces invariant under a foliation of codimension 1. As a application, given a k-algebra B between A^p and A, we show that the kernel of the pull-back morphism is a finite F_p-vector space. In particular, if A is a UFD, then the Picard group of B is finite.     

The Picard group of the forms of the affine line and of the additive group

We obtain an explicit upper bound on the torsion of the Picard group of the forms of ${\mathbb{A}}_k^1$ and their regular completions. We also obtain a sufficient condition for the Picard group of the forms of ${\mathbb{A}}_k^1$ to be nontrivial and we give examples of nontrivial forms of ${\mathbb{A}}_k^1$ with trivial Picard groups.     

Gaussian conditional independence relations have no finite complete characterization

We show that there can be no finite list of conditional independence relations which can be used to deduce all conditional independence implications among Gaussian random variables. To do this, we construct, for each n>3 a family of n conditional independence statements on n random variables which together imply that , and such that no subset have this same implication. The proof relies on binomial primary decomposition.