On the third secant variety (Q478356)

Let \(p\) be an element in a projective space of complex tensors \(\mathbb P(A_1\otimes \cdots\otimes A_n)\). The rank of \(p\) is the minimum \(r\) for which one can find a decomposition \(p=p_1+\dots+p_r\), where the \(p_i\)'s lie in the image \(X\) of \(\mathbb P(A_1)\times\cdots\times\mathbb P(A_n)\) under the Segre map. A tensor \(p\) has \textit{border} rank \(r\) if it is limit of a family of tensors of rank \(r\). In geometric terms, the set of tensors of border rank \(r\) coincides with the secant variety \(\sigma_r(X)\). Tensors of border rank \(r\) may have rank bigger than \(r\), e.g. when two of the points \(p_i\)'s collide in the limit. The authors study the case \(r=3\). For such tensors, the authors determine a normal form in terms of points contained in \(X\) or in some tangent or osculating space to \(X\). The normal form allows the authors to find results on the secant variety \(\sigma:=\sigma_3(X)\). E.g., they prove that there are only finitely many orbits for the action of \(\mathrm{GL}(A_1)\times\cdots \times \mathrm{GL}(A_n)\) on \(\sigma\), the maximal rank for points in \(\sigma\) is \(5\) and furthermore the Comon's conjecture holds for \(\sigma\): the rank of a symmetric tensor in \(\sigma\) is equal to its symmetric rank. The authors also show that the previous description of a normal form for elements in \(\sigma_3(X)\) extends to the case where \(X\) is a generalized cominuscule variety.