An explicit construction of ruled surfaces

The main goal of this paper is to give a general algorithm to compute, via computer-algebra systems, an explicit set of generators of the ideals of the projective embeddings of ruled surfaces, i.e. projectivizations of rank two vector bundles over curves, such that the fibers are embedded as smooth rational curves.There are two different applications of our algorithm. Firstly, given a very ample linear system on an abstract ruled surface, our algorithm allows computing the ideal of the embedded surface, all the syzygies, and all the algebraic invariants which are computable from its ideal as, for instance, the k-regularity. Secondly, it is possible to prove the existence of new embeddings of ruled surfaces.The method can be implemented over any computer-algebra system able to deal with commutative algebra and Gröbner-basis computations. An implementation of our algorithms for the computer-algebra system Macaulay2 (cf. Daniel R. Grayson, Michael E. Stillman, Macaulay 2, a software system for research in algebraic geometry, 1993. Available at http://www.math.uiuc.edu/Macaulay2/]) and explicit examples are enclosed.