We prove the existence of stably degenerate hypersurface singularities. Ingredients in the proof include the mixed Hodge structure on the contact locus of a singularity and that moduli spaces of polarised abelian varieties of large dimension are of general type.
We prove the failure of stable rationality for many smooth well formed weighted hypersurfaces of dimension at least 3. It is in particular proved that a very general smooth well formed Fano weighted hypersurface of index one is not stably rational.
We show that a wide class of hypersurfaces in all dimensions are not stably rational. Namely, for all d at least about 2n/3, a very general complex hypersurface of degree d in P^{n+1} is not stably rational. The statement generalizes Colliot-Thelene and Pirutka's theorem that very general quartic 3-folds are not stably rational. The result covers all the degrees in which Kollar proved that a very general hypersurface is non-rational, and a bit more. For example, very general quartic 4-folds are not stably rational, whereas it was not even known whether these varieties are rational.
Using Voisin's method we prove that a very general hypersurface of degree at least 4 in complex projective space of dimension 6, 7, 8 or 9 is not stably rational and so, in particular, not rational. We obtain the same conclusion for the double covering of projective space of dimension 6, 7, 8 or 9, branched along a very general quartic hypersurface. On the other hand, such double coverings as well as general quartic hypersurfaces of dimension at least 5 are known to be unirational.
Let k be an uncountable field of characteristic different from two. We show that a very general hypersurface of dimension N>2 and degree at least $\log_2N +2$ is not stably rational over the algebraic closure of k.
This paper has been withdrawn. Consider an isolated complex hypersurface singularity, f(x_1,..,x_n)=0. For Newton-non-degenerate singularities the local topology is completely determined by an associated polyhedral object, the Newton diagram. "Most" singularities are not Newton-non-degenerate, for any choice of local coordinates. An old question of Arnol'd asks whether for any hypersurface singularity there exists a stabilization, f(x_1,...,x_n)+z^2_1+...+z^2_r, that becomes Newton-non-degenerate after some change of coordinates. The answer is: "totally no". We give some simple obstructions an…
We study versions of homological mirror symmetry for hypersurface cusp singularities and the three hypersurface simple elliptic singularities. We show that the Milnor fibres of each of these carries a distinguished Lefschetz fibration; its derived directed Fukaya category is equivalent to the derived category of coherent sheaves on a smooth rational surface $Y_{p,q,r}$. By using localization techniques on both sides, we get an isomorphism between the derived wrapped Fukaya category of the Milnor fibre and the derived category of coherent sheaves on a quasi-projective surface given by deleting …
Using the semicontinuity of the Milnor number and the Łojasiewicz exponent, we give a simple proof of Yau's characterization of isolated homogenous hypersurface singularities.
In this paper the detailed classification of three-dimensional exceptional canonical hypersurface singularities which don't satisfy the condition of well-formedness is given. This result completes the classification of three-dimensional exceptional log canonical hypersurface singularities started in [4] (math.AG 0201025).
Using the path lattice cohomology we provide a conceptual topological characterization of the geometric genus for certain complex normal surface singularities with rational homology sphere links, which is uniformly valid for all superisolated and Newton non--degenerate hypersurface singularities.
The log canonical thresholds of irreducible quasi-ordinary hypersurface singularities are computed, using an explicit list of pole candidates for the motivic zeta function found by the last two authors.
We prove that a smooth surface, non of general type, in projective four-space, which lies on a quartic hypersurface with isolated singularities has degree at most 27 (in fact we prove a slightly more general result).
We prove a "strong" Durfee-type inequality for isolated hypersurface surface singularities, which implies Durfee's strong conjecture for such singularities with non-negative topological Euler number of the exceptional set of the minimal resolution.
C.T.C. Wall and the first author discovered an extension of Arnold's strange duality embracing on one hand series of bimodal hypersurface singularities and on the other, isolated complete intersection singularities. In this paper, we derive this duality from the mirror symmetry and the Berglund-Hübsch transposition of invertible polynomials.
This paper studies hypersurface exceptional singularities in $\mathbb C^n$ defined by non-degenerate function. For each canonical hypersurface singularity, there exists a weighted homogeneous singularity such that the former is exceptional if and only if the latter is exceptional. So we study the weighted homogeneous case and prove that the number of weights of weighted homogeneous exceptional singularities are finite. Then we determine all exceptional singularities of the Brieskorn type of dimension 3.
This text is the write-up of a series of lectures on the asymptotic mixed Hodge theory of isolated hypersurface singularities, held at the Third Latin American school on Algebraic Geometry and its applications (ELGA 3) in Guanajuato, Mexico, in august 2017. Its focus is on the classical application of the semi-continuity of the spectrum due to Varchenko and Steenbrink to the problem of bounding the possible singularities on a projective hypersurface.
We prove a formula for the polar degree of projective hypersurfaces in terms of the Milnor data of the singularities, extending to 1-dimensional singularities the Dimca-Papadima result for isolated singularities. We discuss the semi-continuity of the polar degree in deformations, and we classify the homaloidal cubic surfaces with 1-dimensional singular locus. Some open questions are pointed out along the way.
In this paper we give a positive answer to a question of Nash concerning the arc space of a singularity, for the class of quasi-ordinary hypersurface singularities, extending to this case previous results and techniques of Shihoko Ishii.
We give a survey on some aspects of the topological investigation of isolated singularities of complex hypersurfaces by means of Picard-Lefschetz theory. We focus on the concept of distinguished bases of vanishing cycles and the concept of monodromy.
It is proved that a general Fano hypersurface of index 1 (in the projective space) with isolated singularities of general position is birationally rigid. Therefore it cannot be fibered into uniruled varieties of a smaller dimension by a rational map. The group of birational self-maps is either trivial or cyclic of order two.
Linearly projecting smooth projective varieties provides a method of obtaining hypersurfaces birational to the original varieties. We show that in low dimension, the resulting hypersurfaces only have Du Bois singularities. Moreover, we conclude that these Du Bois singularities are in fact semi log canonical. However, we demonstrate the existence of counterexamples in high dimension -- the generic linear projection of certain varieties of dimension 30 or higher is neither semi log canonical nor Du Bois.
We explore the existence of irreducible and reducible arc-sections in an irreducible hypersurface singularity germ along finite projections. In particular we provide examples of irreducible isolated hypersurface singularities for which no irreducible arc-sections exist, and show that reducible ones always exist. Moreover, we give an algorithm to check if a given projection allows irreducible arc-sections, and find them if they exist.
We introduce braid monodromy for the discriminant hypersurface in versal unfoldings of hypersurface singularities. Our objective is then to compute this invariant for singularities of Brieskorn Pham type: First we consider the unfolding by linear monomials in some detail and relate it to the versal unfolding. Next we present the A_n case in our framework. The two main chapters then provide the result in case of two variables and the inductive step to all higher dimensions. We finish with a presentation of the fundamental group of the discriminant complement.
We show the existence of ($1+\frac{w_2}{w_3}$)-fast loops on semi-weighted homogeneous hypersurface singularities with weights $w_1\geq w_2>w_3$. In particular we show that semi-weighted homogeneous hypersurface singularities have metrical conical structure only if its two low weights are equal.
We give partial answers to a metric version of Zariski's multiplicity conjecture. In particular, we prove the multiplicity of complex analytic surface (not necessarily isolated) singularities in $\mathbb{C}^3$ is a bi-Lipschitz invariant.
For a weighted quasihomogeneous two dimensional hypersurface singularity, we define a smoothing with unipotent monodromy and an isolated graded normal singularity. We study the natural weighted blow up of both the smoothing and the surface. In particular, we describe our construction for the quasihomogeneous singularities of type I, the 14 unimodal exceptional singularities and we relate it to their stable replacement.
We study the Milnor monodromies of non-isolated hypersurface singularities and show that the reduced cohomology groups of the Milnor fibers are concentrated in the middle degree for some eigenvalues of the monodromies. As an application of this result, we give an explicit formula for some parts of their Jordan normal forms.
We give an upper bound for the minimal discrepancies of hypersurface singularities. As an application, we show that Shokurov's conjecture is true for log-terminal threefolds.
We establish birational superrigidity for a large class of singular projective Fano hypersurfaces of index one. In the special case of isolated singularities, our result applies for instance to: (1) hypersurfaces with semi-homogeneous singularities of multiplicity asymptotically bounded by twice the square root of the dimension of the hypersurface, (2) hypersurfaces with isolated singularities whose Tyurina numbers satisfy a similar bound, and (3) hypersurfaces with isolated singularities whose dual variety is a hypersurface of degree sufficiently close to the expected degree.
In this note we provide a formula for the Tjurina number of a join of isolated hypersurface singularities in separated variables. From this we are able to provide a characterization of isolated hypersurface singularities whose difference between the Milnor and Tjurina numbers is less or equal than two arising as the join of isolated hypersurface singularities in separated variables. Also, we are able to provide new upper bounds for the quotient of Milnor and Tjurina numbers of certain join of isolated hypersurface singularities. Finally, we deduce an upper bound for the quotient of Milnor and …
Mather and Yau showed that an isolated complex hypersurface singularity is completely determined by its moduli algebra. It is shown, for the simple elliptic singularities, how to construct continuous invariants from the moduli algebras and, hence, associate invariants to the singularities themselves.
We introduce a Lie algebra of initial terms of logarithmic vector fields along a hypersurface singularity. Extending the formal structure theorem in [GS06, Thm. 5.4], we show that the completely reducible part of its linear projection lifts formally to a linear Lie algebra of logarithmic vector fields. For quasihomogeneous singularities, we prove convergence of this linearization. We relate our construction to the work of Hauser and M"uller [M"ul86, HM89] on Levi subgroups of automorphism groups of singularities, which proves convergence even for algebraic singularities. Based on the initial L…
Suppose that $f$ defines a singular, complex affine hypersurface. If the critical locus of $f$ is one-dimensional, we obtain new general bounds on the ranks of the homology groups of the Milnor fiber of $f$. This result has an interesting implication on the structure of the vanishing cycles in the category of perverse sheaves.
We introduce two generalizations of Newton-non-degenerate (Nnd) singularities of hypersurfaces. Roughly speaking, an isolated hypersurface singularity is called topologically Newton-non-degenerate (tNnd) if the local embedded topological singularity type can be restored from a collection of Newton diagrams (for some coordinate choices). A singularity that is not tNnd is called essentially Newton-degenerate. For plane curves we give an explicit characterization of tNnd singularities; for hypersurfaces we provide several examples. Next, we treat the question: whether Nnd or tNnd is a property of…
We prove that a very general complex hypersurface of degree $n+1$ in $\mathbb{P}^{n+1}$ containing an $r$-plane with multiplicity $m$ is not stably rational for $n \ge 3$, $m, r > 0$ and $n \ge m+r$. We also investigate failure of stable rationality of a very general hypersurface of degree $n+1$ in $\mathbb{P}^{n+1}$ admitting several isolated ordinary double points.
In this series of lectures, I will discuss results for complex hypersurfaces with non-isolated singularities. In Lecture 1, I will review basic definitions and results on complex hypersurfaces, and then present classical material on the Milnor fiber and fibration. In Lecture 2, I will present basic results from Morse theory, and use them to prove some results about complex hypersurfaces, including a proof of Lê's attaching result for Milnor fibers of non-isolated hypersurface singularities. This will include defining the relative polar curve. Lecture 3 will begin with a discussion of intersect…
From the degree zero part of logarithmic vector fields along an algebraic hypersurface singularity we indentify the maximal multihomogeneity of a defining equation in form of a maximal algebraic torus in the embedded automorphism group. We show that all such maximal tori are conjugate and in one-to-one correspondence to maxmimal tori in the degree zero jet of the embedded automorphism group. The result is motivated by Kyoji Saito's characterization of quasihomogeneity for isolated hypersurface singularities and extends its formal version and a result of Hauser and Mueller.
In this note we give a simple proof of the following relative analog of the well known Milnor-Palamodov theorem: the Bruce-Roberts number of a function relative to an isolated hypersurface singularity is equal to its topological Milnor number (the rank of a certain relative (co)homology group) if and only if the hypersurface singularity is quasihomogeneous. The proof relies on an interpretation of the Bruce-Roberts number in terms of differential forms and the Lê-Greuel formula.
Let V be a projective hypersurface of fixed degree and dimension which has only isolated singular points. We show that, if the sum of the Milnor numbers at the singular points of V is large, then V cannot have a point of large multiplicity, unless V is a cone. As an application, we give an affirmative answer to a conjecture of Dimca and Papadima.
Kähler's paper "Über die Verzweigung einer algebraischen Funktion zweier Veränderlichen in der Umgebung einer singulären Stelle" offered a more perceptual view of the link of a complex plane curve singularity than that provided shortly before by Brauner. Kähler's innovation of using a "square sphere" became standard in the toolkit of later researchers on singularities. We describe his contribution and survey developments since then, including a brief discussion of the topology of isolated hypersurface singularities in higher dimension.
The paper is motivated on the open problem of resolution of singularities in positive characteristic. The aim is to present a form of induction which is different from that used by Hironaka. In characteristic zero induction is formulated by restriction to smooth hypersurfaces (hypersurfaces of maximal contact). Our alternative approach, introduced here, replaces restrictions to smooth sub-schemes by generic projections on smooth schemes of smaller dimension. We also introduce a generalization of the discriminant, and our result makes use of the elimination theory. In the case of fields of char…
Given a hypersurface, $X$, prime $p$, the zeta function is a generating function for the number of $\mathbb{F}_{p}$ rational points of $X$. Until now, there is no algorithm for computing hypersurfaces with ADE singularities. Scott Stetson and Vladimir Baranovsky provided an algorithm with Mathematica for the ordinary double point case. In this paper, I go over a Sage algorithm for computing the zeta function of a hypersurface with ADE singularities over 3-dimensional projective space. To make the algorithm more efficient, I established an equivalence between a polynomial belonging to the Jacob…
