  This paper studies symmetric tensor decompositions. For symmetric tensors,
there exist linear relations of recursive patterns among their entries. Such a
relation can be represented by a polynomial, which is called a generating
polynomial. The homogenization of a generating polynomial belongs to the apolar
ideal of the tensor. A symmetric tensor decomposition can be determined by a
set of generating polynomials, which can be represented by a matrix. We call it
a generating matrix. Generally, a symmetric tensor decomposition can be
determined by a generating matrix satisfying certain conditions. We
characterize the sets of such generating matrices and investigate their
properties (e.g., the existence, dimensions, nondefectiveness). Using these
properties, we propose methods for computing symmetric tensor decompositions.
Extensive examples are shown to demonstrate the efficiency of proposed methods.
