Positive semidefinite rank

Abstract

Let (Formula presented.) be a nonnegative matrix. The positive semidefinite rank (psd rank) of M is the smallest integer k for which there exist positive semidefinite matrices (Formula presented.) of size (Formula presented.) such that (Formula presented.). The psd rank has many appealing geometric interpretations, including semidefinite representations of polyhedra and information-theoretic applications. In this paper we develop and survey the main mathematical properties of psd rank, including its geometry, relationships with other rank notions, and computational and algorithmic aspects.