Computing border bases

This paper presents several algorithms that compute border bases of a zero-dimensional ideal. The first relates to the FGLM algorithm as it uses a linear basis transformation. In particular, it is able to compute border bases that do not contain a reduced Grobner basis. The second algorithm is based on a generic algorithm by Bernard Mourrain originally designed for computing an ideal basis that need not be a border basis. Our fully detailed algorithm computes a border basis of a zero-dimensional ideal from a given set of generators. To obtain concrete instructions we appeal to a degree-compatible term ordering c and hence compute a border basis that contains the reduced sigma-Grobner basis. We show an example in which this computation actually has advantages over Buchberger's algorithm. Moreover, we formulate and prove two optimizations of the Border Basis Algorithm which reduce the dimensions of the linear algebra subproblems. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.