Computing the Betti numbers of semi-algebraic sets defined by partly quadratic systems of polynomials

Let $\R$ be a real closed field, ${\mathcal Q} \subset \R[Y_1,...,Y_\ell,X_1,...,X_k],$ with \deg_{Y}(Q) \leq 2, \deg_{X}(Q) \leq d, Q \in {\mathcal Q}, #({\mathcal Q})=m, and ${\mathcal P} \subset \R[X_1,...,X_k]$ with \deg_{X}(P) \leq d, P \in {\mathcal P}, #({\mathcal P})=s. Let $S \subset \R^{\ell+k}$ be a semi-algebraic set defined by a Boolean formula without negations, with atoms $P=0, P \geq 0, P \leq 0, P \in {\mathcal P} \cup {\mathcal Q}$. We describe an algorithm for computing the the Betti numbers of $S$. The complexity of the algorithm is bounded by $(\ell s m d)^{2^{O(m+k)}}$. The complexity of the algorithm interpolates between the doubly exponential time bounds for the known algorithms in the general case, and the polynomial complexity in case of semi-algebraic sets defined by few quadratic inequalities known previously. Moreover, for fixed $m$ and $k$ this algorithm has polynomial time complexity in the remaining parameters.Comment: 24 pages, 3 figure

Algorithmic Semi-algebraic Geometry and Topology -- Recent Progress and Open Problems

We give a survey of algorithms for computing topological invariants of semi-algebraic sets with special emphasis on the more recent developments in designing algorithms for computing the Betti numbers of semi-algebraic sets. Aside from describing these results, we discuss briefly the background as well as the importance of these problems, and also describe the main tools from algorithmic semi-algebraic geometry, as well as algebraic topology, which make these advances possible. We end with a list of open problems.Comment: Survey article, 74 pages, 15 figures. Final revision. This version will appear in the AMS Contemporary Math. Series: Proceedings of the Summer Research Conference on Discrete and Computational Geometry, Snowbird, Utah (June, 2006). J.E. Goodman, J. Pach, R. Pollack Ed

Algorithmic and topological aspects of semi-algebraic sets defined by quadratic polynomial

In this thesis, we consider semi-algebraic sets over a real closed field $R$ defined by quadratic polynomials. Semi-algebraic sets of $R^k$ are defined as the smallest family of sets in $R^k$ that contains the algebraic sets as well as the sets defined by polynomial inequalities, and which is also closed under the boolean operations (complementation, finite unions and finite intersections). We prove new bounds on the Betti numbers as well as on the number of different stable homotopy types of certain fibers of semi-algebraic sets over a real closed field $R$ defined by quadratic polynomials, in terms of the parameters of the system of polynomials defining them, which improve the known results. We conclude the thesis with presenting two new algorithms along with their implementations. The first algorithm computes the number of connected components and the first Betti number of a semi-algebraic set defined by compact objects in $\mathbb{R}^k$ which are simply connected. This algorithm improves the well-know method using a triangulation of the semi-algebraic set. Moreover, the algorithm has been efficiently implemented which was not possible before. The second algorithm computes efficiently the real intersection of three quadratic surfaces in $\mathbb{R}^3$ using a semi-numerical approach.Comment: PhD thesis, final version, 109 pages, 9 figure

Bounding the number of stable homotopy types of a parametrized family of semi-algebraic sets defined by quadratic inequalities

We prove a nearly optimal bound on the number of stable homotopy types occurring in a k-parameter semi-algebraic family of sets in $\R^\ell$, each defined in terms of m quadratic inequalities. Our bound is exponential in k and m, but polynomial in $\ell$. More precisely, we prove the following. Let $\R$ be a real closed field and let $${\mathcal P} = \{P_1,...,P_m\} \subset \R[Y_1,...,Y_\ell,X_1,...,X_k],$$ with ${\rm deg}_Y(P_i) \leq 2, {\rm deg}_X(P_i) \leq d, 1 \leq i \leq m$. Let $S \subset \R^{\ell+k}$ be a semi-algebraic set, defined by a Boolean formula without negations, whose atoms are of the form, $P \geq 0, P\leq 0, P \in {\mathcal P}$. Let $\pi: \R^{\ell+k} \to \R^k$ be the projection on the last k co-ordinates. Then, the number of stable homotopy types amongst the fibers S_{\x} = \pi^{-1}(\x) \cap S is bounded by $$(2^m\ell k d)^{O(mk)}.$$Comment: 27 pages, 1 figur

Computing the homology of basic semialgebraic sets in weak exponential time

We describe and analyze an algorithm for computing the homology (Betti numbers and torsion coefficients) of basic semialgebraic sets which works in weak exponential time. That is, out of a set of exponentially small measure in the space of data the cost of the algorithm is exponential in the size of the data. All algorithms previously proposed for this problem have a complexity which is doubly exponential (and this is so for almost all data)

Computing the First Few Betti Numbers of Semi-algebraic Sets in Single Exponential Time

In this paper we describe an algorithm that takes as input a description of a semi-algebraic set $S \subset \R^k$, defined by a Boolean formula with atoms of the form $P > 0, P < 0, P=0$ for $P \in {\mathcal P} \subset \R[X_1,...,X_k],$ and outputs the first $\ell+1$ Betti numbers of $S$, $b_0(S),...,b_\ell(S).$ The complexity of the algorithm is $(sd)^{k^{O(\ell)}},$ where where s = #({\mathcal P}) and $d = \max_{P\in {\mathcal P}}{\rm deg}(P),$ which is singly exponential in $k$ for $\ell$ any fixed constant. Previously, singly exponential time algorithms were known only for computing the Euler-Poincar\'e characteristic, the zero-th and the first Betti numbers