differential forms in computational algebraic geometry
We give a uniform method for the two problems #CC C and #IC C of counting connected and irreducible components of complex algebraic varieties, respectively. Our algorithms are purely algebraic, i.e., they use only the field structure of C. They work efficiently in parallel and can be implemented by algebraic circuits of polynomial depth, i.e., in parallel polynomial time. The design of our algorithms relies on the concept of algebraic differential forms. A further important building block is an algorithm of Snt [40] computing a variant of characteristic sets. The crucial complexity parameter for #IC C turns out to be the number of equations. We describe a randomised algorithm solving #IC C for a fixed number of rational equations given by straight-line programs (slps), which runs in parallel polylogarithmic time in the length and the degree of the slps.
differential forms irreducible components complexity connected components