On the string-theoretic Euler number of a class of absolutely isolated singularities

An explicit computation of the so-called string-theoretic E-function of a normal complex variety X with at most log-terminal singularities can be achieved by constructing one snc-desingularization of X, accompanied with the intersection graph of the exceptional prime divisors, and with the precise knowledge of their structure. In the present paper, it is shown that this is feasible for the case in which X is the underlying space of a class of absolutely isolated singularities (including both usual ? _n -singularities and Fermat singularities of arbitrary dimension). As byproduct of the exact evaluation of lim, for this class of singularities, one gets counterexamples to a conjecture of Batyrev concerning the boundedness of the string-theoretic index. Finally, the string-theoretic Euler number is also computed for global complete intersections in ℙ_ℂ ^N with prescribed singularities of the above type. Received: 2 January 2001 / Revised version: 22 May 2001     

On normal surface singularities and a problem of enriques

We construct families of normal surface singularities with the following property: given any fiat projective connected family V →B of smooth, irreducible, minimal algebraic surfaces, the general singularity in one of our families cannot occur, analytically, on any algebraic surfaces which is Irrationally equivalent to a surface in V→B. In particular this holds for V→B consisting of a single rational surface, thus answering negatively to a long standing problem posed by F. Enriques. In order to prove the above mentioned results, wo develop a general, though elementary, method, based on the consideration of suitable correspondences, for comparing a given family of minimal surfaces with a family of surface singularities. Specifically the method in question gives us the possibility of comparing the parameters on which the two families depend, thus leading to the aforementioned results.     

Universal abelian covers of certain surface singularities

Every normal complex surface singularity with -homology sphere link has a universal abelian cover. It has been conjectured by Neumann and Wahl that the universal abelian cover of a rational or minimally elliptic singularity is a complete intersection singularity defined by a system of ``splice diagram equations'. In this paper we introduce a Neumann-Wahl system, which is an analogue of the system of splice diagram equations, and prove the following. If (X, o) is a rational or minimally elliptic singularity, then its universal abelian cover (Y, o) is an equisingular deformation of an isolated complete intersection singularity (Y₀, o) defined by a Neumann-Wahl system. Furthermore, if G denotes the Galois group of the covering Y → X, then G also acts on Y₀ and X is an equisingular deformation of the quotient Y₀/G. Dedicated to Professor Jonathan Wahl on his sixtieth birthday. This research was partially supported by the Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B), The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan.     

Determination of the poles of the topological zeta function for curves

Tof ∈ℂ[x ₁…,x _n ] one associates thetopological zeta function which is an invariant of (the germ of)f at 0, defined in terms of an embedded resolution of (the germ of)f ⁻¹{0} inf ⁻¹{0}. By definition the topological zeta function is a rational function in one variable, and it is related to Igusa’s local zeta function. A major problem is the study of its poles. In this paper we exactly determine all poles of the topological zeta function forn=2 and anyf ∈ℂ[x ₁,x ₂]. In particular there exists at most one pole of order two, and in this case it is the pole closest to the origin. Our proofs rely on a new geometrical result which makes the embedded resolution graph of the germ off into an ‘ordered tree’ with respect to the so-callednumerical data of the resolution. The author is a Postdoctoral Fellow of the Belgian National Fund for Scientific Research N.F.W.O.     

On (-<Emphasis Type="Italic">P</Emphasis> ⋅ <Emphasis Type="Italic">P</Emphasis>)-constant deformations of Gorenstein surface singularities

Let : X T be a small deformation of a normal Gorenstein surface singularity X ₀ = ^-1(0) over the complex number field . Suppose that T is a neighborhood of the origin of and that X ₀ is not log-canonical. We show that if a topological invariant -P _t P _t of X _t = ^-1(t) is constant, then, after a suitable finite base change, admits a simultaneous resolution f : M X which induces a locally trivial deformation of each maximal string of rational curves at an end of the exceptional set of M ₀ X ₀; in particular, if X ₀ has a star-shaped resolution graph, then admits a weak simultaneous resolution (in other words, is an equisingular deformation).     

Limits of tangents and minimality of complex links

We show that the complex link of a large class of space germs (X,x₀) is characterized by its “simplicity”, among the Milnor fibres of functions with isolated singularity on X. This amounts to the minimality of the Milnor number, whenever this number is defined. Such a phenomenon has been first pointed out in case (X,x₀) is an isolated hypersurface singularity, by Teissier (Cycles évanescents, sections planes et conditions de Whitney, in: Singularités à Cargèse 1972, Asterisque, Nos. 7 et 8, Soc. Math. France, Paris, 1973, pp. 285-362).     

Characteristic classes of complex hypersurfaces

The Milnor-Hirzebruch class of a locally complete intersection X in an algebraic manifold M measures the difference between the (Poincaré dual of the) Hirzebruch class of the virtual tangent bundle of X and, respectively, the Brasselet-Schürmann-Yokura (homology) Hirzebruch class of X. In this note, we calculate the Milnor-Hirzebruch class of a globally defined algebraic hypersurface X in terms of the corresponding Hirzebruch invariants of vanishing cycles and singular strata in a Whitney stratification of X. Our approach is based on Schürmann's specialization property for the motivic Hirzebruch class transformation of Brasselet-Schürmann-Yokura. The present results also yield calculations of Todd, Chern and L-type characteristic classes of hypersurfaces.     

Global Euler obstruction and polar invariants

Let be a purely dimensional, complex algebraic singular space. We define a global Euler obstruction Eu(Y) which extends the Euler-Poincaré characteristic in case of a nonsingular Y. Using Lefschetz pencils, we express Eu(Y) as alternating sum of global polar invariants. Partially supported by CNRS-CONACYT (12409) Cooperation Program. The first and third named authors partially supported by CONACYT grant G36357-E and DGPA (UNAM) grant IN 101 401.     

Reflexive modules on normal surface singularities and representations of the local fundamental group

We consider the Riemann-Hilbert correspondence on the complement of a normal surface singularity (X,x). Through a closure operation we obtain a correspondence between the category of finite dimensional representations of the local fundamental group and the category of left D_X,x-modules that are reflexive as O_X,x-modules. We show that under this correspondence profinite representations correspond to invariant modules and that these admit a canonical structure as left D_X,x-modules. We prove that the fundamental module is an invariant module if and only if (X,x) is a quotient singularity. Finally we investigate some algebraisation aspects.     

A regularity theorem for deformations of a compact complex surface

Let ƒ:M →D ⊑C ⁿ be a holomorphic family of compact, complex surfaces, which is locally trivial onD∖Z, for an analytic subsetZ. Conditions are found under which ƒ extends trivially toD, if the fibers of ƒ|_D∖Z are either Hirzebruch surfaces (projective bundles overP ₁), Hopf surfaces (elliptic bundles overP ₁), hyperelliptic bundles, or any compact complex surface having one of these as minimal model under blowing-down. The results of this paper are motivated by the existence of non-Hausdorff moduli spaces in the deformation of complex structure for certain complex manifolds.     

A linear bound on the Euler number of threefolds of Calabi–Yau and of general type

Let X⊂ℙ ^N be either a threefold of Calabi–Yau or of general type (embedded with r K _X ). In this article we give lower and upper bounds, linear on the degree of X and N, for the Euler number of X. As a corollary we obtain the boundedness of the region described by the Chern ratios of threefolds with ample canonical bundle and a new upper bound for the number of nodes of a complete intersection threefold. Received: 26 April 2000 / Revised version: 20 November 2000     

Topological equivalence of complex polynomials

The following numerical control over the topological equivalence is proved: two complex polynomials in n≠3 variables and with isolated singularities are topologically equivalent if one deforms into the other by a continuous family of polynomial functions f_s:Cⁿ→C with isolated singularities such that the degree, the number of vanishing cycles and the number of atypical values are constant in the family.     

Computing Gauss-Manin systems for complete intersection singularitiesS μ

The Gauss-Manin systems with coefficients having logarithmic poles along the discriminant sets of the principal deformations of complete intersection quasihomogeneous singularitiesS are calculated. Their solutions in the form of generalized hypergeometric functions are presented.     

Extension dans un cadre algébrique d'une formule de Weil

Let R be a commutative A-algebra, and f=(f ₁,…,f _n ) a quasi-regular sequence such that P=R/(f) is finitely generated and projective over A. In the algebraic residue formalism due to J. Lipman, we propose the analog of an analytic Weil's formula. As applications, we first give some criterions for homomorphism from A[z] to A[z] to be finite when A is a n\oe therian ring, and then an algebraic proof of the usual analytic Weil's formula. Received: 27 April 1998     

Uniform boundedness of level structures on abelian varieties over complex function fields

Let X = Ω/Γ be a smooth quotient of a bounded symmetric domain Ω by an arithmetic subgroup . We prove the following generalization of Nadel's result: for any non-negative integer g, there exists a finite étale cover X_g = Ω/Γ(g) of X determined by a subgroup depending only on g, such that for any compact Riemann surface R of genus g and any non-constant holomorphic map f : R → X_g^* from R into the Satake-Baily-Borel compactification X_g^* of X_g, the image f(R) lies in the boundary ∂X_g: = X^*_g\X_g. Nadel proved it for g = 0 or 1. Moreover, for any positive integer n and any non-negative integer g≥0, we show that there exists a positive number a(n,g) depending only on n and g with the following property: a principally polarized non-isotrivial n-dimensional abelian variety over a complex function field of genus g does not have a level-N structure for N≥a(n,g). This was proved by Nadel for g = 0 or 1, and by Noguchi for arbitrary g under the additional hypothesis that the abelian variety has non-empty singular fibers.     

Invariant of the hypergeometric group associated to the quantum cohomology of the projective space

We present a simple method to calculate the Stokes matrix for the quantum cohomology of the projective spaces CP^k−1 in terms of certain hypergeometric group. We present also an algebraic variety whose fibre integrals are solutions to the given hypergeometric equation.     

Combinatorics of rational singularities

A normal surface singularity is rational if and only if the dual intersection graph of a desingularization satisfies some combinatorial properties. In fact, the graphs defined in this way are trees. In this paper we give geometric features of these trees. In particular, we prove that the number of vertices of valency 3 in the dual intersection tree of the minimal desingularization of a rational singularity of multiplicity m 3 is at most m - 2.     

An algebraic formula for the intersection number of a polynomial immersion

An algorithm is presented for computing the topological degree for a large class of polynomial mappings. As an application there is given an effective algebraic formula for the intersection number of a polynomial immersion M→R^2m, where M is an m-dimensional algebraic manifold.