Smale 17th Problem: Advances and Open Directions

We give an overview of Smale's 17th problem describing the context in whichSmale proposed it, the ideas that led to its solution, and the extensionsand subsequent progress after this solution.

Hilbert’s 17th problem in free skew fields

This paper solves the rational noncommutative analogue of Hilbert’s 17th problem: if a noncommutative rational function is positive semidefinite on all tuples of Hermitian matrices in its domain, then it is a sum of Hermitian squares of noncommutative rational functions. This result is a generalisation and culmination of earlier positivity certificates for noncommutative polynomials or rational functions without Hermitian singularities. More generally, a rational Positivstellensatz for free spectrahedra is given: a noncommutative rational function is positive semidefinite or undefined at every matricial solution of a linear matrix inequality $L\succeq 0$ if and only if it belongs to the rational quadratic module generated by L. The essential intermediate step toward this Positivstellensatz for functions with singularities is an extension theorem for invertible evaluations of linear matrix pencils.

Теорема Артина для f-колец

The main result states that each positive polynomial p in N variables with coefficients in a unital Archimedean f-ring K is representable as a sum of squares of rational functions over the complete ring of quotients of K provided that p is positive on the real closure of K. This is proved by means of Boolean valued interpretation of Artin's famous theorem which answers Hilbert's 17th problem affirmatively.