Real Even Symmetric Forms

Let F$\sb{n,m}$ denote the set of all real forms of degree m in n variables. In 1888, Hilbert proved that a form P $\in$ F$\sb{n,m}$ which is positive semidefinite (psd) must have a representation as a sum of squares (sos) of forms if and only if n = 2, m = 2, or (n,m) = (3,4). No concrete example of a psd form which is not sos was known until the late 1960's. We denote by S$\sbsp{n,m}{e}$ the set of all real symmetric forms of degree m = 2d. Let PS$\sbsp{n,m}{e}$ and $\Sigma$S$\sbsp{n,m}{e}$ denote the cones of psd and sos elements of S$\sbsp{n,m}{e},$ respectively. For m = 2 or 4, these cones coincide. For m = 6, they do not, and were analyzed in Even Symmetric Sextics, by M. D. Choi, T. Y. Lam and B. Reznick, Math. Z. 195 (1987), pp. 559-580.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Mathematics

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2014

Author dc:creator

• Harris, William Richard

Contributors dc:contributor

• Reznick, B.,

• Mathematics

Identifier

(UMI)AAI9305548

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/72534