A computational approach to Lüroth quartics (Q1945114)

A plane quartic curve \(C\) is a \textit{Lüroth quartic} when it contains the \(10\) vertexes of a complete pentalateral. The author describes a new algoritm which determines if a given homogeneous polinomial of degree \(4\) in three variables is the equation of a Lüroth quartic. The method is based on the classical geometric contruction, introduced by \textit{H. S. Miller} and \textit{K. G. White} [Amer. Math. Soc. Bull. (2) 15, 347--352 (1909; JFM 40.0649.02)], of a quartic fourfold \(WM_C\) associated to a quartic curve \(C\). The author examines the correspondence between singular points of the fourfold \(WM_C\) and bitangent lines to \(C\). The analysis proves that the shape of the singular locus of \(WM_C\) gives a way to detect pentalaterals contained in \(C\). Since the ideal of Sing(\(WM_C\)) is computable, one gets an effective algorithm. The analysis also provides a new proof that Lüroth quartics fill a hypersurface of degree \(54\) in the space of all quartic plane curves.