The Euclidean distance degree of an algebraic variety

The nearest point map of a real algebraic variety with respect to Euclidean distance is an algebraic function. For instance, for varieties of low rank matrices, the Eckart-Young Theorem states that this map is given by the singular value decomposition. This article develops a theory of such nearest point maps from the perspective of computational algebraic geometry. The Euclidean distance degree of a variety is the number of critical points of the squared distance to a generic point outside the variety. Focusing on varieties seen in applications, we present numerous tools for exact computations.Comment: to appear in Foundations of Computational Mathematic

Polar degrees and closest points in codimension two

Suppose that $X_A\subset \mathbb{P}^{n-1}$ is a toric variety of codimension two defined by an $(n-2)\times n$ integer matrix $A$, and let $B$ be a Gale dual of $A$. In this paper we compute the Euclidean distance degree and polar degrees of $X_A$ (along with other associated invariants) combinatorially working from the matrix $B$. Our approach allows for the consideration of examples that would be impractical using algebraic or geometric methods. It also yields considerably simpler computational formulas for these invariants, allowing much larger examples to be computed much more quickly than the analogous combinatorial methods using the matrix $A$ in the codimension two case.Comment: 25 pages, 1 figur

Asymptotics of degrees and ED degrees of Segre products

Two fundamental invariants attached to a projective variety are its classical algebraic degree and its Euclidean Distance degree (ED degree). In this paper, we study the asymptotic behavior of these two degrees of some Segre products and their dual varieties. We analyze the asymptotics of degrees of (hypercubical) hyperdeterminants, the dual hypersurfaces to Segre varieties. We offer an alternative viewpoint on the stabilization of the ED degree of some Segre varieties. Although this phenomenon was incidentally known from Friedland-Ottaviani's formula expressing the number of singular vector tuples of a general tensor, our approach provides a geometric explanation. Finally, we establish the stabilization of the degree of the dual variety of a Segre product X×Qn, where X is a projective variety and Qn⊂Pn+1 is a smooth quadric hypersurface

The algebraic degree of sparse polynomial optimization

In this paper we study a broad class of polynomial optimization problems whose constraints and objective functions exhibit sparsity patterns. We give two characterizations of the number of critical points to these problems, one as a mixed volume and one as an intersection product on a toric variety. As a corollary, we obtain a convex geometric interpretation of polar degrees, a classical invariant of algebraic varieties as well as Euclidean distance degrees. Furthermore, we prove BKK generality of Lagrange systems in many instances. Motivated by our result expressing the algebraic degree of sparse polynomial optimisation problems via Porteus' formula, in the appendix we answer a related question concerning the degree of sparse determinantal varieties.Comment: 29 page

Algebra and Geometry of Camera Resectioning

We study algebraic varieties associated with the camera resectioning problem. We characterize these resectioning varieties' multigraded vanishing ideals using Gr\"obner basis techniques. As an application, we derive and re-interpret celebrated results in geometric computer vision related to camera-point duality. We also clarify some relationships between the classical problems of optimal resectioning and triangulation, state a conjectural formula for the Euclidean distance degree of the resectioning variety, and discuss how this conjecture relates to the recently-resolved multiview conjecture.Comment: 27 page