Univariate polynomials: nearly optimal algorithms for factorization and rootfinding

• Authors: Victor Y. Pan
• Venue: Proceedings of the 2001 international symposium on Symbolic and algebraic computation
• Year: 2001

To approximate all roots (zeros) of a univariate polynomial, we develop two effective algorithms and combine them in a single recursive process. One algorithm computes a basic well isolated zero-free annulus on the complex plane, whereas another algorithm numerically splits the input polynomial of the n-th degree into two factors balanced in the degrees and with the zero sets separated by the basic annulus. Recursive combination of the two algorithms leads to recursive computation of the complete numerical factorization of a polynomial into the product of linear factors and further to the approximation of the roots. The new rootfinder incorporates the earlier techniques of Schönhage and Kirrinnis and our old and new techniques and yields nearly optimal (up to polylogarithmic factors) arithmetic and Boolean cost estimates for the complexity of both complete factorization and rootfinding. The improvement over our previous record Boolean complexity estimates is by roughly the factor of n for complete factorization and also for the approximation of well-conditioned (well isolated) roots, whereas the same algorithm is also optimal (under both arithmetic and Boolean models of computing) for the worst case input polynomial, where the roots can be ill-conditioned, forming clusters. (The worst case bounds are supported by our previous algorithms as well.) Al our algorithms allow processor efficient acceleration to achieve solution in polygarithmic parallel time.