Subtracting a best rank-1 approximation may increase tensor rank (Q5962281)

It is known that a best rank-\(R\) approximation of an order-\(k\) tensor may not exist when \(R\geq 2\) and \(k\geq 3\). This poses a serious problem to data analysts using tensor decompositions. It has been observed numerically that, generally, this issue cannot be solved by consecutively computing and subtracting best rank-\(1\) approximations. In the present paper the authors provide a mathematical treatment of this property for real-valued \(2\times 2\times 2\) tensors, with symmetric tensors as a special case. Regardless of the symmetry, they show that for generic \(2\times 2\times 2\) tensors (which have rank \(2\) or \(3\)), subtracting a best rank-\(1\) approximation results in a tensor that has rank \(3\) and lies on the boundary between the rank-\(2\) and rank-\(3\) sets. Hence, for a typical tensor of rank \(2\), subtracting a best rank-\(1\) approximation increases the tensor rank.