Term Algebras, Canonical Representations and Difference Ring Theory for Symbolic Summation

A general overview of the existing difference ring theory for symbolic summation is given. Special emphasis is put on the user interface: the translation and back translation of the corresponding representations within the term algebra and the formal difference ring setting. In particular, canonical (unique) representations and their refinements in the introduced term algebra are explored by utilizing the available difference ring theory. Based on that, precise input-output specifications of the available tools of the summation package Sigma are provided.