Toric Difference Variety

Abstract

In this paper, the concept of toric difference varieties is defined and four equivalent descriptions for toric difference varieties are presented in terms of difference rational parametrization, difference coordinate rings, toric difference ideals, and group actions by difference tori. Connections between toric difference varieties and affine N[x]-semimodules are established by proving the correspondence between the irreducible invariant difference subvarieties and the faces of the N[x]-submodules and the orbit-face correspondence. Finally, an algorithm is given to decide whether a binomial difference ideal represented by a Z[x]-lattice defines a toric difference variety.