Inverse system of a symbolic power. II: The Waring problem for forms (Q1895604)

In this paper one gives the solution to the classical Waring problem for forms, namely to determine \(g(d, r)=\) the smallest length of a decomposition of a general form of degree \(d\) in \(r\) variables as a sum of \(d\)-th powers of linear forms. The main tools are a result of J. Alexander and A. Hirschowitz about the Hilbert function of the ideal of functions vanishing to order two at a generic set of points of the projective space \(\mathbb{P}^{r-1}\) and a theorem of \textit{J. Emsalem} and \textit{A. Iarrobino} [Inverse system of a symbolic power. I, J. Algebra 174, 1080-1090 (1995; Zbl 0842.14002)]. One studies also other related lengths for a form \(f\), different in general from the above \(g(d, r)\), named smoothable length and scheme length. One proposes also new ``Waring problems'' with respect to these lengths.