Nonnegative polynomials and sums of squares

Projective techniques in algebraic geometry (14N05) Real algebraic and real-analytic geometry (14P99) Convex sets in (n) dimensions (including convex hypersurfaces) (52A20)

Abstract: In the smallest cases where there exist nonnegative polynomials that are not sums of squares we present a complete explanation of this distinction. The fundamental reason that the cone of sums of squares is strictly contained in the cone of nonnegative polynomials is that polynomials of degree

d

satisfy certain linear relations, known as the Cayley-Bacharach relations, which are not satisfied by polynomials of full degree 2d. For any nonnegative polynomial that is not a sum of squares we can write down a linear inequality coming from a Cayley-Bacharach relation that certifies this fact. We also characterize strictly positive sums of squares that lie on the boundary of the cone of sums of squares and extreme rays of the cone dual to the cone of sums of squares

Review text

A central question in real algebraic geometry is whether a nonnegative real polynomial in \(n\) variables can be written in a way that makes its nonnegativity apparent.NEWLINENEWLINEIn the seminal paper of \textit{D. Hilbert} [Math. Ann. 32, 342-350 (1888; JFM 20.0198.02)], he showed that every nonnegative polynomial is a sum of squares of polynomials only in the following cases: univariate polynomials, quadratic polynomials and bivariate polynomials of degree 4. In all other cases there are nonnegative polynomials that are not sums of squares and Hilbert's proof used the fact that polynomials of degree \(d\) satisfy linear relations, known as the Cayley-Bacharach relations, which are not satisfied by polynomials of full degree \(2d\).NEWLINENEWLINEIn this paper, it is shown that all linear inequalities that separate nonnegative polynomials from sums of squares come from the Cayley-Bacharach relations in the cases of three variables of degree 4 and two variables of degree 6. Adding an extra variable the author work with homogeneous polynomials (forms).NEWLINENEWLINELet \(H_{n,d}\) be the vector space of real forms in \(n\) variables of degree \(d\). Nonnegative forms and sums of squares of \(H_{n,2d}\) form full-dimensional closed convex cones in \(H_{n,2d}\) which are called \(P_{n,2d}\) and \(\Sigma_{n,2d}\), respectively.NEWLINENEWLINEThe main result states that given a form \(p \in P_{3,6} \setminus \Sigma_{3,6}\), there exist two real homogeneous cubics \(q_1, q_2 \in H_{3,3}\) intersecting in nine (possibly complex) projective points \(z_1, \ldots, z_9\) and a real linear functional \(\ell: H_{3,6} \to {\mathbb R}\) given by NEWLINE\[NEWLINE \ell (f) = \sum_{i=1}^9 \mu_i f(z_i) NEWLINE\]NEWLINE \noindent for some \(\mu_i \in {\mathbb C}\) such that \(\ell(r) \geq 0\) for all \(r \in \Sigma_{3,6}\) and \(\ell(p) < 0\). Furthermore at most two of the points \(z_i\) are complex.NEWLINENEWLINEA similar theorem is proved for the case of forms \(p \in P_{4,4} \setminus \Sigma_{4,4}\).

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