Tensor decomposition and homotopy continuation

A computationally challenging classical elimination theory problem is to compute polynomials which vanish on the set of tensors of a given rank. By moving away from computing polynomials via elimination theory to computing pseudowitness sets via numerical elimination theory, we develop computational methods for computing ranks and border ranks of tensors along with decompositions. More generally, we present our approach using joins of any collection of irreducible and nondegenerate projective varieties $X_1,\ldots,X_k\subset\mathbb{P}^N$ defined over $\mathbb{C}$. After computing ranks over $\mathbb{C}$, we also explore computing real ranks. Various examples are included to demonstrate this numerical algebraic geometric approach.Comment: We have added two examples: A Coppersmith-Winograd tensor, Matrix multiplication with zeros. (26 pages, 1 figure

On deflation and multiplicity structure

This paper presents two new constructions related to singular solutions of polynomial systems. The first is a new deflation method for an isolated singular root. This construction uses a single linear differential form defined from the Jacobian matrix of the input, and defines the deflated system by applying this differential form to the original system. The advantages of this new deflation is that it does not introduce new variables and the increase in the number of equations is linear in each iteration instead of the quadratic increase of previous methods. The second construction gives the coefficients of the so-called inverse system or dual basis, which defines the multiplicity structure at the singular root. We present a system of equations in the original variables plus a relatively small number of new variables that completely deflates the root in one step. We show that the isolated simple solutions of this new system correspond to roots of the original system with given multiplicity structure up to a given order. Both constructions are "exact" in that they permit one to treat all conjugate roots simultaneously and can be used in certification procedures for singular roots and their multiplicity structure with respect to an exact rational polynomial system.Comment: arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:1501.0508