Local dimension testing via quadratic obstructions

We give an algorithm, based on second-order necessary conditions, to test whether a point is isolated on an algebraic set. Using this subroutine, we develop an algorithm that bounds the local dimension of an algebraic set at a point. The principal computation in our isolation test is governed by the nullity of the Jacobian, avoiding the combinatorial growth of classical methods. For exact input, the bound returned by the algorithm is certified. We compare our approach with classical methods. As an application, we show that the realization space of the 24-cell has the expected local dimension at its symmetric regular realization, completing the local dimension program for regular 4-polytopes initiated by Rastanawi, Sinn, and Ziegler.