Truncated K-moment problems in several variables

TL;DR

This paper establishes conditions under which truncated moment sequences in several variables have unique, finitely supported representing measures, linking positive semidefinite moment matrices and algebraic varieties.

Contribution

It proves that rank-preserving extensions of positive semidefinite moment matrices guarantee unique atomic representing measures, extending the classical moment problem to semi-algebraic sets.

Findings

Unique r-atomic representing measure exists under rank-preserving extension.

Conditions for measures supported in semi-algebraic sets are characterized.

Explicit relation between moment matrix extensions and measure support is established.

Abstract

Let $\beta\equiv\beta^{(2n)}$ be an N-dimensional real multi-sequence of degree 2n, with associated moment matrix $\mathcal{M}(n)\equiv \mathcal{M}(n)(\beta)$, and let $r:=rank \mathcal{M}(n)$. We prove that if $\mathcal{M}(n)$ is positive semidefinite and admits a rank-preserving moment matrix extension $\mathcal{M}(n+1)$, then $\mathcal{M}(n+1)$ has a unique representing measure \mu, which is r-atomic, with supp \mu$ equal to $\mathcal{V}(\mathcal{M}(n+1))$, the algebraic variety of $\mathcal{M}(n+1)$. Further, \beta has an r-atomic (minimal) representing measure supported in a semi-algebraic set $K_{\mathcal{Q}}$ subordinate to a family $\mathcal{Q}% \equiv\{q_{i}\}_{i=1}^{m}\subseteq\mathbb{R}[t_{1},...,t_{N}]$ if and only if $\mathcal{M}(n)$ is positive semidefinite and admits a rank-preserving extension $\mathcal{M}(n+1)$ for which the associated localizing matrices $\mathcal{M}_{q_{i}}(n+[\frac{1+\deg q_{i}}{2}])$ are positive semidefinite $(1\leq i\leq m)$; in this case, \mu (as above) satisfies supp \mu\subseteq K_{\mathcal{Q}}$, and \mu has precisely rank \mathcal{M}(n)-rank \mathcal{M}_{q_{i}}(n+[\frac{1+\deg q_{i}}{2}])$ atoms in $\mathcal{Z}(q_{i})\equiv {t\in\mathbb{R}^{N}:q_{i}(t)=0}$, $1\leq i\leq m$.