Complete intersections in simplicial toric varieties

Abstract: Given a set $\mathcal A = {a_1,\ldots,a_n} \subset \mathbb{N}^m$ of nonzero vectors defining a simplicial toric ideal $I_{\mathcal A} \subset k[x_1,...,x_n]$, where $k$ is an arbitrary field, we provide an algorithm for checking whether $I_{\mathcal A}$ is a complete intersection. This algorithm does not require the explicit computation of a minimal set of generators of $I_{\mathcal A}$. The algorithm is based on the application of some new results concerning toric ideals to the simplicial case. For homogenous simplicial toric ideals, we provide a simpler version of this algorithm. Moreover, when $k$ is an algebraically closed field, we list all ideal-theoretic complete intersection simplicial projective toric varieties that are either smooth or have one singular point.