The Euclidean distance degree of smooth complex projective varieties (Q1755594)

Let \(X\) be a real algebraic variety in \(\mathbb{R}^n\)and \(p\) be a point in \(\mathbb{R}^n \setminus X\). A crucial problem in algebraic optimization is to minimize the distance fonction \(x \mapsto ||p-x||^2\) on \(X\). The Euclidean distance degree of \(X\) is the number of critical points of this function when the point \(p\) is generic outside \(X\). This function has been introduced and intensively studied in [\textit{J. Draisma} et al., Found. Comput. Math. 16, No. 1, 99--149 (2016; Zbl 1370.51020)]. In the present paper, the authors deal with the complex case. In [loc cit], the authors provide a formula for the ED degree of a complex projective algebraic variety \(X\) in terms of the degree of its Chern classes provided that \(X\) and the isotropic quadric \(Q\) attached to the standard complex linear quadratic form intersect transversally. The main result in the paper under review is the following: if \(X\) is smooth and not included in \(Q\), then the ED degree of \(X\) is the absolute value of the Euler characteristic of \(S \setminus (Q \cup H)\) where \(H\) is a generic hyperplane.