arXiv subjects

Bernd Sturmfels

Publications and source records attributed to Bernd Sturmfels.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources

arXiv2013

Computing Linear Matrix Representations of Helton-Vinnikov Curves

Helton and Vinnikov showed that every rigidly convex curve in the real plane bounds a spectrahedron. This leads to the computational problem of explicitly producing a symmetric (positive definite) linear determinantal representation for a given curve. We study three approaches to this problem: an algebraic approach via solving polynomial equations, a geometric approach via contact curves, and an analytic approach via theta functions. These are explained, compared, and tested experimentally for low degree instances.

math.AG↗

arXiv2013

The Entropic Discriminant

The entropic discriminant is a non-negative polynomial associated to a matrix. It arises in contexts ranging from statistics and linear programming to singularity theory and algebraic geometry. It describes the complex branch locus of the polar map of a real hyperplane arrangement, and it vanishes when the equations defining the analytic center of a linear program have a complex double root. We study the geometry of the entropic discriminant, and we express its degree in terms of the characteristic polynomial of the underlying matroid. Singularities of reciprocal linear spaces play a key role. In the corank-one case, the entropic discriminant admits a sum of squares representation derived from the discriminant of a characteristic polynomial of a symmetric matrix.

math.AG↗

arXiv2012

Factorization of Discrete Probability Distributions

We formulate necessary and sufficient conditions for an arbitrary discrete probability distribution to factor according to an undirected graphical model, or a log-linear model, or other more general exponential models. This result generalizes the well known Hammersley-Clifford Theorem.

cs.AI↗

arXiv2012

Matrices with Eigenvectors in a Given Subspace

The Kalman variety of a linear subspace in a vector space consists of all endomorphism that possess an eigenvector in that subspace. We study the defining polynomials and basic geometric invariants of the Kalman variety.

math.AG↗

arXiv2012

Toric Cubes

A toric cube is a subset of the standard cube defined by binomial inequalities. These basic semialgebraic sets are precisely the images of standard cubes under monomial maps. We study toric cubes from the perspective of topological combinatorics. Explicit decompositions as CW-complexes are constructed. Their open cells are interiors of toric cubes and their boundaries are subcomplexes. The motivating example of a toric cube is the edge-product space in phylogenetics, and our work generalizes results known for that space.

math.CO↗

arXiv2012

Monomials, Binomials, and Riemann-Roch

The Riemann-Roch theorem on a graph G is related to Alexander duality in combinatorial commutive algebra. We study the lattice ideal given by chip firing on G and the initial ideal whose standard monomials are the G-parking functions. When G is a saturated graph, these ideals are generic and the Scarf complex is a minimal free resolution. Otherwise, syzygies are obtained by degeneration. We also develop a self-contained Riemann-Roch theory for artinian monomial ideals.

math.AC↗

arXiv2012

Geometry of Higher-Order Markov Chains

We determine an explicit Gröbner basis, consisting of linear forms and determinantal quadrics, for the prime ideal of Raftery's mixture transition distribution model for Markov chains. When the states are binary, the corresponding projective variety is a linear space, the model itself consists of two simplices in a cross-polytope, and the likelihood function typically has two local maxima. In the general non-binary case, the model corresponds to a cone over a Segre variety.

math.ST↗

arXiv2012

Elliptic curves in honeycomb form

A plane cubic curve, defined over a field with valuation, is in honeycomb form if its tropicalization exhibits the standard hexagonal cycle. We explicitly compute such representations from a given j-invariant with negative valuation, we give an analytic characterization of elliptic curves in honeycomb form, and we offer a detailed analysis of the tropical group law on such a curve.

math.AG↗

arXiv2012

Combinatorial Types of Tropical Eigenvectors

The map which takes a square matrix to its tropical eigenvalue-eigenvector pair is piecewise linear. We determine the cones of linearity of this map. They are simplicial but they do not form a fan. Motivated by statistical ranking, we also study the restriction of that cone decomposition to the subspace of skew-symmetric matrices.

math.CO↗

arXiv2011

The central curve in linear programming

The central curve of a linear program is an algebraic curve specified by linear and quadratic constraints arising from complementary slackness. It is the union of the various central paths for minimizing or maximizing the cost function over any region in the associated hyperplane arrangement. We determine the degree, arithmetic genus and defining prime ideal of the central curve, thereby answering a question of Bayer and Lagarias. These invariants, along with the degree of the Gauss image of the curve, are expressed in terms of the matroid of the input matrix. Extending work of Dedieu, Malajovich and Shub, this yields an instance-specific bound on the total curvature of the central path, a quantity relevant for interior point methods. The global geometry of central curves is studied in detail.

math.OC↗

arXiv2011

Commutative Algebra of Statistical Ranking

A model for statistical ranking is a family of probability distributions whose states are orderings of a fixed finite set of items. We represent the orderings as maximal chains in a graded poset. The most widely used ranking models are parameterized by rational function in the model parameters, so they define algebraic varieties. We study these varieties from the perspective of combinatorial commutative algebra. One of our models, the Plackett-Luce model, is non-toric. Five others are toric: the Birkhoff model, the ascending model, the Csiszar model, the inversion model, and the Bradley-Terry model. For these models we examine the toric algebra, its lattice polytope, and its Markov basis.

math.AC↗

arXiv2011

Mixed Discriminants

The mixed discriminant of n Laurent polynomials in n variables is the irreducible polynomial in the coefficients which vanishes whenever two of the roots coincide. The Cayley trick expresses the mixed discriminant as an A-discriminant. We show that the degree of the mixed discriminant is a piecewise linear function in the Plucker coordinates of a mixed Grassmannian. An explicit degree formula is given for the case of plane curves.

math.AG↗

arXiv2011

Binary Cumulant Varieties

Algebraic statistics for binary random variables is concerned with highly structured algebraic varieties in the space of 2x2x...x2-tensors. We demonstrate the advantages of representing such varieties in the coordinate system of binary cumulants. Our primary focus lies on hidden subset models. Parametrizations and implicit equations in cumulants are derived for hyperdeterminants, for secant and tangential varieties of Segre varieties, and for certain context-specific independence models. Extending work of Rota and collaborators, we explore the polynomial inequalities satisfied by cumulants.

math.CO↗

arXiv2011

A Hilbert Scheme in Computer Vision

Multiview geometry is the study of two-dimensional images of three-dimensional scenes, a foundational subject in computer vision. We determine a universal Groebner basis for the multiview ideal of n generic cameras. As the cameras move, the multiview varieties vary in a family of dimension 11n-15. This family is the distinguished component of a multigraded Hilbert scheme with a unique Borel-fixed point. We present a combinatorial study of ideals lying on that Hilbert scheme.

math.AG↗

arXiv2011

Algebraic boundaries of Hilbert's SOS cones

We study the geometry underlying the difference between non-negative polynomials and sums of squares. The hypersurfaces that discriminate these two cones for ternary sextics and quaternary quartics are shown to be Noether-Lefschetz loci of K3 surfaces. The projective duals of these hypersurfaces are defined by rank constraints on Hankel matrices. We compute their degrees using numerical algebraic geometry, thereby verifying results due to Maulik and Pandharipande. The non-SOS extreme rays of the two cones of non-negative forms are parametrized respectively by the Severi variety of plane rational sextics and by the variety of quartic symmetroids.

math.AG↗

arXiv2011

Noncoherent SIMO Pre-Log via Resolution of Singularities

We establish a lower bound on the noncoherent capacity pre-log of a temporally correlated Rayleigh block-fading single-input multiple-output (SIMO) channel. Our result holds for arbitrary rank Q of the channel correlation matrix, arbitrary block-length L > Q, and arbitrary number of receive antennas R, and includes the result in Morgenshtern et al. (2010) as a special case. It is well known that the capacity pre-log for this channel in the single-input single-output (SISO) case is given by 1-Q/L, where Q/L is the penalty incurred by channel uncertainty. Our result reveals that this penalty can be reduced to 1/L by adding only one receive antenna, provided that L \geq 2Q - 1 and the channel correlation matrix satisfies mild technical conditions. The main technical tool used to prove our result is Hironaka's celebrated theorem on resolution of singularities in algebraic geometry.

cs.IT↗

arXiv2011

Mustafin Varieties

A Mustafin variety is a degeneration of projective space induced by a point configuration in a Bruhat-Tits building. The special fiber is reduced and Cohen-Macaulay, and its irreducible components form interesting combinatorial patterns. For configurations that lie in one apartment, these patterns are regular mixed subdivisions of scaled simplices, and the Mustafin variety is a twisted Veronese variety built from such a subdivision. This connects our study to tropical and toric geometry. For general configurations, the irreducible components of the special fiber are rational varieties, and any blow-up of projective space along a linear subspace arrangement can arise. A detailed study of Mustafin varieties is undertaken for configurations in the Bruhat-Tits tree of PGL(2) and in the two-dimensional building of PGL(3). The latter yields the classification of Mustafin triangles into 38 combinatorial types.

math.AG↗

arXiv2011

Orbitopes

An orbitope is the convex hull of an orbit of a compact group acting linearly on a vector space. These highly symmetric convex bodies lie at the crossroads of several fields, in particular convex geometry, optimization, and algebraic geometry. We present a self-contained theory of orbitopes, with particular emphasis on instances arising from the groups SO(n) and O(n). These include Schur-Horn orbitopes, tautological orbitopes, Caratheodory orbitopes, Veronese orbitopes and Grassmann orbitopes. We study their face lattices, their algebraic boundary hypersurfaces, and representations as spectrahedra or projected spectrahedra.

math.AG↗