Computing the irreducible real factors and components of an algebraic curve (Q1814128)

An algorithm is presented that allows the decomposition of an algebraic curve with rational coefficients into its irreducible real factors. The algorithm runs in time polynomial in the degree and the coefficient size of the rational bivariate polynomial defining the curve, and it is based on computing the irreducible complex factors and then investigating high precision complex floating point coefficients of these factors and the complex norms.