Positive polynomial explained

In mathematics, a positive polynomial (respectively non-negative polynomial) on a particular set is a polynomial whose values are positive (respectively non-negative) on that set. Precisely, Let

be a polynomial in variables with real coefficients and let be a subset of the -dimensional Euclidean space . We say that: is positive on if for every in . is non-negative on if for every in .

Positivstellensatz (and nichtnegativstellensatz)

For certain sets

, there exist algebraic descriptions of all polynomials that are positive (resp. non-negative) on . Such a description is a positivstellensatz (resp. nichtnegativstellensatz). The importance of Positivstellensatz theorems in computation arises from its ability to transform problems of polynomial optimization into semidefinite programming problems, which can be efficiently solved using convex optimization techniques.^[1]

Examples of positivstellensatz (and nichtnegativstellensatz)

• Globally positive polynomials and sum of squares decomposition.
  • Every real polynomial in one variable is non-negative on

if and only if it is a sum of two squares of real polynomials in one variable.^[2] This equivalence does not generalize for polynomial with more than one variable: for instance, the Motzkin polynomial is non-negative on but is not a sum of squares of elements from .^[3]

• • A real polynomial in

variables is non-negative on if and only if it is a sum of squares of real rational functions in variables (see Hilbert's seventeenth problem and Artin's solution^[4]).

• • Suppose that

is homogeneous of even degree. If it is positive on , then there exists an integer such that is a sum of squares of elements from .^[5]

• Polynomials positive on polytopes.
  • For polynomials of degree

we have the following variant of Farkas lemma: If have degree and for every satisfying , then there exist non-negative real numbers such that .

• • Pólya's theorem:^[6] If

is homogeneous and is positive on the set , then there exists an integer such that has non-negative coefficients.

• • Handelman's theorem:^[7] If

is a compact polytope in Euclidean -space, defined by linear inequalities , and if is a polynomial in variables that is positive on , then can be expressed as a linear combination with non-negative coefficients of products of members of .

• Polynomials positive on semialgebraic sets.
  • The most general result is Stengle's Positivstellensatz.
  • For compact semialgebraic sets we have Schmüdgen's positivstellensatz,^{[8] [9]} Putinar's positivstellensatz^{[10] [11]} and Vasilescu's positivstellensatz.^[12] The point here is that no denominators are needed.
  • For nice compact semialgebraic sets of low dimension, there exists a nichtnegativstellensatz without denominators.^{[13] [14] [15]}

Generalizations of positivstellensatz

Positivstellensatz also exist for signomials,^[16] trigonometric polynomials,^[17] polynomial matrices,^[18] polynomials in free variables,^[19] quantum polynomials,^[20] and definable functions on o-minimal structures.^[21]

Further reading

• Bochnak, Jacek; Coste, Michel; Roy, Marie-Françoise. Real Algebraic Geometry. Translated from the 1987 French original. Revised by the authors. Ergebnisse der Mathematik und ihrer Grenzgebiete (3) [Results in Mathematics and Related Areas (3)], 36. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 1998. .
• Marshall, Murray. "Positive polynomials and sums of squares". Mathematical Surveys and Monographs, 146. American Mathematical Society, Providence, RI, 2008., .

See also

• Polynomial SOS
• Hilbert's seventeenth problem
• Hilbert's Nullstellensatz for algebraic descriptions of polynomials that are zero on a set S.

Notes and References

1. Book: Semidefinite optimization and convex algebraic geometry . 2013 . Grigoriy Blekherman, Pablo A. Parrilo, Rekha R. Thomas . 978-1-61197-228-3 . Philadelphia . 809420808.
2. Benoist. Olivier. 2017. Writing Positive Polynomials as Sums of (Few) Squares. EMS Newsletter. en. 2017-9. 105. 8–13. 10.4171/NEWS/105/4. 1027-488X. free.
3. T. S. Motzkin, The arithmetic-geometric inequality. 1967 Inequalities (Proc. Sympos. Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, 1965) pp. 205–224.
4. [Emil Artin|E. Artin]
5. B. Reznick, Uniform denominators in Hilbert's seventeenth problem. Math. Z. 220 (1995), no. 1, 75–97.
6. G. Pólya, Über positive Darstellung von Polynomen Vierteljschr, Naturforsch. Ges. Zürich 73 (1928) 141–145, in: R. P. Boas (Ed.), Collected Papers Vol. 2, MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, 1974, pp. 309–313.
7. D. Handelman, Representing polynomials by positive linear functions on compact convex polyhedra. Pacific J. Math. 132 (1988), no. 1, 35–62.
8. K. Schmüdgen. "The -moment problem for compact semi-algebraic sets". Math. Ann. 289 (1991), no. 2, 203–206.
9. T. Wörmann. "Strikt Positive Polynome in der Semialgebraischen Geometrie", Univ. Dortmund 1998.
10. M. Putinar, "Positive polynomials on compact semi-algebraic sets". Indiana Univ. Math. J. 42 (1993), no. 3, 969–984.
11. T. Jacobi, "A representation theorem for certain partially ordered commutative rings". Math. Z. 237 (2001), no. 2, 259–273.
12. Vasilescu, F.-H. "Spectral measures and moment problems". Spectral analysis and its applications, 173–215, Theta Ser. Adv. Math., 2, Theta, Bucharest, 2003. See Theorem 1.3.1.
13. C. Scheiderer, "Sums of squares of regular functions on real algebraic varieties". Trans. Amer. Math. Soc. 352 (2000), no. 3, 1039–1069.
14. C. Scheiderer, "Sums of squares on real algebraic curves". Math. Z. 245 (2003), no. 4, 725–760.
15. C. Scheiderer, "Sums of squares on real algebraic surfaces". Manuscripta Math. 119 (2006), no. 4, 395–410.
16. Dressler . Mareike . Murray . Riley . 2022-12-31 . Algebraic Perspectives on Signomial Optimization . SIAM Journal on Applied Algebra and Geometry . en . 6 . 4 . 650–684 . 10.1137/21M1462568 . 2107.00345 . 235694320 . 2470-6566.
17. Dumitrescu . Bogdan . 2007 . Positivstellensatz for Trigonometric Polynomials and Multidimensional Stability Tests . IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems II: Express Briefs . 54 . 4 . 353–356 . 10.1109/TCSII.2006.890409 . 38131072 . 1558-3791.
18. Cimprič . J. . 2011 . Strict positivstellensätze for matrix polynomials with scalar constraints . Linear Algebra and Its Applications . en . 434 . 8 . 1879–1883 . 10.1016/j.laa.2010.11.046. 119169153 . free . 1011.4930 .
19. Helton . J. William . Klep . Igor . McCullough . Scott . 2012 . The convex Positivstellensatz in a free algebra . . en . 231 . 1 . 516–534 . 10.1016/j.aim.2012.04.028 . free. 1102.4859 .
20. Klep . Igor . 2004-12-31 . The Noncommutative Graded Positivstellensatz . Communications in Algebra . en . 32 . 5 . 2029–2040 . 10.1081/AGB-120029921 . 120795025 . 0092-7872.
21. Acquistapace . F. . Andradas . C. . Broglia . F. . 2002-07-01 . The Positivstellensatz for definable functions on o-minimal structures . Illinois Journal of Mathematics . 46 . 3 . 10.1215/ijm/1258130979 . 122451112 . 0019-2082. free .