Equations for secant varieties of Veronese and other varieties (Q361920)

The authors provide a new set of equations for secant varieties of Veronese varieties \(\nu_d(\mathbb P^n)\) (i.e. for varieties of symmetric tensors \(T\) with given symmetric border rank). The new equations follow from the method of \textit{Young flattening}, i.e. flattening of tensors controlled by the Young tableaux of some partitions. The method is a generalization of the construction of catalecticant matrices: the authors show that, by manipulating some Young tableaux, one can translate bounds on the rank of \(T\) into bounds on the rank of a matrix. The equations obtained in this way effectively provide new information on the ideal of some secant varieties. Indeed, the authors determine classes of secant varieties to Veronese varieties, for which the equations associated to Young flattening allow to construct a set of scheme-theoretical generators.