The cone of Hilbert nullforms

We describe a geometric-combinatorial algorithm that allows one, using solely the system of weights and roots, to determine the Hesselink strata of the null-cone of a linear representation of a reductive algebraic group and calculate their dimensions. In particular, it provides a constructive approach to calculating the dimension of the null-cone and determining all its irreducible components of maximal dimension. In the case of the adjoint representation (and, more generally, a $\theta$-representation), the algorithm turns into the classification algorithm for the conjugacy classes of nilpotent elements in a semisimple Lie algebra (respectively, homogeneous nilpotent elements in a cyclically graded semisimple Lie algebra).