Reducing inequalities with bounds (Q1384601)

\textit{L. Bröcker} [Expo. Math. 9, No. 4, 289-334 (1991; Zbl 0783.14035)] and \textit{C. Scheiderer} [Invent. Math. 97, No. 3, 467-483 (1989; Zbl 0715.14049)] have independently proved the now famous theorem that every system of simultaneous strict inequalities in a real variety of dimension \(d\) can be reduced to at most \(d\) such inequalities. \textit{L. Mahé} [C. R. Acad. Sci., Paris, Sér. I 309, No. 9, 613-616 (1989; Zbl 0901.11012)] has announced another proof, somehow more ``elementary'' in the sense that it uses only classical techniques of Pfister forms. This proof is also more constructive and allows to consider explicit algorithmic reductions. For instance we may ask the following question: given a system of inequalities of \(n\) polynomials \(f_1>0, \dots, f_n>0\) in \(d\) variables of degree bounded by \(B\), can we give a bound \(B'\) for the degree of an equivalent system of inequalities of \(d\) polynomials \(g_1>0, \dots, g_d>0\)? -- In sections 2 and 3, we present in full details the theoretical proof we use, in the general setting of the real spectrum of a ring, leaving intentionally aside the computational aspects and we end up section 3 by this reduction theorem: Theorem (Bröcker-Scheiderer). Let \(A\) be any \(R\)-algebra of transcendence degree \(d>0\) over the real closed field \(R\), then any system of strict inequalities \(f_1>0, \dots, f_n>0\) with \(f_i\in A\), is equivalent to a system \(g_1, \dots, g_{\max (d,1)}\) with \(g_i\in A\). In the above theorem, two systems of inequalities are said to be equivalent if the parts of the real spectrum \(\text{Spec}_rA\) where they are satisfied are the same. As a corollary we get of course that any basic open semi-algebraic set in a real algebraic set \(V\) of dimension \(d>0\) is generated by \(d\) polynomial functions on \(V\). In section 4, we show how we can control the degree in the theorem of Tsen-Lang, which is the first tool in our proof. In section 5, we answer partially the question above: We give a bound \(B'\) for a system \(g_1>0, \dots, g_d>0\) ``generically'' equivalent to \(f_1>0, \dots, f_n>0\): The solution sets may differ by positive codimensional subsets. The explicit result we find for \(B'\) is \(B'= ((3^d+1) d(d+1))^{n-d}B\). Eventually, in section 6, we give a complete answer in the 2-variable case (notice that the 1-variable case is rather trivial).