The set of unattainable points for the Rational Hermite Interpolation Problem

Abstract

We describe geometrically and algebraically the set of unattainable points for the Rational Hermite Interpolation Problem (i.e. those points where the problem does not have a solution). We show that this set is a union of equidimensional complete intersection varieties of odd codimension, the number of them being equal to the minimum between the degrees of the numerator and denominator of the problem. Each of these equidimensional varieties can be further decomposed as a union of as many rational (irreducible) varieties as input data points. We exhibit algorithms and equations defining all these objects.