The tensor decomposition addressed in this paper may be seen as a generalisation of Singular Value Decomposition of matrices. We consider general multilinear and multihomogeneous tensors. We show how to reduce the problem to a truncated moment matrix
problem and give a new criterion for flat extension of Quasi-Hankel matrices. We connect this criterion to the commutation characterisation of border bases. A new algorithm is described. It applies for general multihomogeneous tensors, extending the approach of J.J. Sylvester to binary forms. An example illustrates the algebraic operations involved in this approach and how the decomposition can be recovered from eigenvector computation.
We present an algorithm for decomposing a symmetric tensor, of dimension n and order d as a sum of rank-1 symmetric tensors, extending the algorithm of Sylvester devised in 1886 for binary forms. We recall the correspondence between the decomposition
of a homogeneous polynomial in n variables of total degree d as a sum of powers of linear forms (Warings problem), incidence properties on secant varieties of the Veronese Variety and the representation of linear forms as a linear combination of evaluations at distinct points. Then we reformulate Sylvesters approach from the dual point of view. Exploiting this duality, we propose necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of such a decomposition of a given rank, using the properties of Hankel (and quasi-Hankel) matrices, derived from multivariate polynomials and normal form computations. This leads to the resolution of polynomial equations of small degree in non-generic cases. We propose a new algorithm for symmetric tensor decomposition, based on this characterization and on linear algebra computations with these Hankel matrices. The impact of this contribution is two-fold. First it permits an efficient computation of the decomposition of any tensor of sub-generic rank, as opposed to widely used iterative algorithms with unproved global convergence (e.g. Alternate Least Squares or gradient descents). Second, it gives tools for understanding uniqueness conditions, and for detecting the rank.
