Sums of squares on reducible real curves (Q611981)

In the paper under review the author studies positive semidefinite polynomial functions on real algebraic curves. It has been known since Hilbert that not every real positive semidefinite polynomial in \(n\) variables can be expressed as a sum of squares of real polynomials, unless \(n=1\). This negative result can be generalized to the case of polynomials on real affine varieties \(V\). It has been shown by \textit{C. Scheiderer} [Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 352, No.3, 1039--1069 (2000; Zbl 0941.14024)] that positive semidefinite polynomials are not sums of squares if the dimension of \(V\) is at least \(3\), leaving the case of dimension at most 2 somewhat open and dependent on the geometry of \(V\). If \(V=C\) is one-dimensional, that is if \(C\) is a real algebraic curve, and if \(C\) is irreducible, \textit{C. Scheiderer} [Math. Z. 245, No. 4, 725--760 (2003; Zbl 1056.14078)] proved that a positive semidefinite polynomial is a sum of squares if and only if \(C\) is rational or if \(C\) admits a non-constant bounded function, that is a function \(f \in {\mathbb R}[C]\), \(f \notin {\mathbb R}\), such that \(|f| \leq n\) on \(C\) for some \(n \in {\mathbb N}\). Here \({\mathbb R}[C]\) denotes the coordinate ring of \(C\). In the paper under review the author extends this result into an elegant and really quite involved theorem that deals with curves that are not necessarily irreducible. More specifically, he shows that if \(C'\) is the union of all irreducible components of \(C\) that do not admit any non-constant bounded polynomial functions, then a polynomial function in \({\mathbb R}[C]\) that is positive semidefinite is a sum of squares if and only if the following four conditions hold true: 1) all real signatures of \(C\) are ordinary multiple points with independent tangents, 2) all intersection points of \(C\) are real, 3) all irreducible components of \(C'\) are non-singular and rational, and 4) the configuration of the irreducible components of \(C'\) contains no loops. The author also proposes some generalizations of the developed theory and explains how it relates to the moment problem in functional analysis.