Lower bounds on the rank and symmetric rank of real tensors

Abstract: We lower bound the rank of a tensor by a linear combination of the ranks of three of its unfoldings, using Sylvester's rank inequality. In a similar way, we lower bound the symmetric rank by a linear combination of the symmetric ranks of three unfoldings. Lower bounds on the rank and symmetric rank of tensors are important for finding counterexamples to Comon's conjecture. A real counterexample to Comon's conjecture is a tensor whose real rank and real symmetric rank differ. Previously, only one real counterexample was known. We divide the construction into three steps. The first step involves linear spaces of binary tensors. The second step considers a linear space of larger decomposable tensors. The third step is to verify a conjecture that lower bounds the symmetric rank, on a tensor of interest. We use the construction to build an order six real tensor whose real rank and real symmetric rank differ.