Waring ranks of sextic binary forms via geometric invariant theory

Abstract

We determine the Waring ranks of all sextic binary forms with complex coefficients using a Geometric Invariant Theory approach. Using the five basic invariants for sextic binary forms, our results give a rapid method to determine the Waring rank of any given sextic binary form. In particular, we shed new light on a claim by E. B. Elliott at the end of the 19th century concerning the binary sextics with Waring rank 3. We show that for binary forms of arbitrary degree the cactus rank, a.k.a. scheme rank, is determined by the corresponding Waring rank. Finally we determine the border ranks of all binary sextics.