Positive Polynomials and Sums of Squares

The study of positive polynomials brings together algebra, geometry and analysis. The subject is of fundamental importance in real algebraic geometry, when studying the properties of objects defined by polynomial inequalities. Hilbert's 17th problem and its solution in the first half of the 20th century were landmarks in the early days of the subject. More recently, new connections to the moment problem and to polynomial optimization have been discovered. The moment problem relates linear maps on the multidimensional polynomial ring to positive Borel measures.