Questions tagged [singularity-theory]
Singularities in algebraic/complex/differential geometry and analysis of ODEs/PDEs. Singular spaces, vector fields, etc.
536
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Hironaka's proof of resolution of singularities in positive characteristics
Recent publication of Hironaka seems to provoke extended discussions, like Atiyah's proof of almost complex structure of $S^6$ earlier...
Unlike Atiyah's paper, Hironaka's paper does not have a ...
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votes
4
answers
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When is a singular point of a variety ($\mathcal{C}^\infty$-) smooth?
If $X$ is a nonsingular algebraic (or analytic) variety over $\mathbb C$ or $\mathbb R$ then it is certainly $C^\infty$ over the reals.
The converse is false for a silly reason : in the real or ...
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votes
7
answers
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Examples of Mixed Hodge Structures
Does anyone know a user-friendly, example-laden introduction to mixed Hodge structures? I get from Wikipedia how to calculate for a punctured and pinched curve (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
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votes
3
answers
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Wanted: example of a non-algebraic singularity
Given a finitely generated $\def\CC{\mathbb C}\CC$-algebra $R$ and a $\CC$-point (maximal ideal) $p\in Spec(R)$, I define the singularity type of $p\in Spec(R)$ to be the isomorphism class of the ...
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Microlocal geometry - A theorem of Verdier
(1) In "Geometrie Microlocale", Verdier states the following theorem.
Theorem: Let $E$ be a vector space and $F$ a constructible complex on $E$.
Then for $\ell$ a linear form on $E$, we have a ...
- 7,387
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votes
2
answers
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Limit of a series of singularities
The $A_\infty$ and $D_\infty$ plane curve singularities have defining equations $x^2=0$ and $x^2y=0$. These equations are "clearly" natural limiting cases of the equations for $A_n$ singularities $x^...
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votes
1
answer
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Can you prove Givental's conjecture on wavefronts and the icosahedron?
In his remarkable book The Theory of Singularities and its Applications, Vladimir Arnol'd discussed a conjecture of A. B. Givental, which asserts that the symmetry group of the icosahedron is secretly ...
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votes
1
answer
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Can the constant rank theorem for smooth manifolds be generalized to nonconstant rank?
The constant rank theorem says that
if $f\colon M→N$ is a smooth map whose rank equals some fixed $k≥0$ at any point of $M$, then, locally with respect to $M$ and $N$, the map $f$ assumes the easiest ...
- 36.3k
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votes
2
answers
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construct the elliptic fibration of elliptic k3 surface
Hi all,
As we know, every elliptic k3 surface admits an elliptic fibration over $P^1$, but generally how do we construct this fibration? For example, how to get such a fibration for Fermat quartic?
...
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5
answers
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Is a 'generic' variety nonsingular? Or singular?
I'd like to know whether there's some coherent meaning of 'generic' for which one can say that a 'generic' variety over an algebraically closed field $K$, say, is nonsingular or singular. We could ...
- 2,148
21
votes
2
answers
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Elementary short exact sequence of sheaves
This question arised when I was trying to use this answer to understand Reid's "Young Person's guide to Canonical Singularities". In particular page 352 when computing the blow-up $Y\rightarrow A^2/\...
- 2,205
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votes
1
answer
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Canonical scheme structure on the singular locus of a variety
I first asked this question on Math StackExchange but no answers were given.
Let $X$ be subvariety of affine space $\mathbb{A}_{k}^n$, where $k$ is a field, and suppose $X$ is given by equations
$$...
- 653
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votes
2
answers
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Whitney stratifications
Many results on characteristic classes of singular varieties (as well as other singularity-theoretic constructions) make use of a so-called "Whitney stratification" of the variety under ...
- 653
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votes
4
answers
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Comparing fundamental groups of a complex orbifolds and their resolutions.
Let $X$ be a complex manifold with quotient singularities, and let $\tilde X$ be its resolution (that exists, for example, by Hironaka). Then I am pretty sure that $\pi_1(X)\cong \pi_1(\tilde X)$.
...
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17
votes
1
answer
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Cohomology of real analytic coherent sheaves
Let $M$ be a real analytic variety
(if someone is concerned about distinction between
"real analytic spaces" and "real analytic varieties"
in real analytic geometry, let's assume that $M$
is both "...
- 9,095
16
votes
2
answers
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Giant Rat of Sumatra singularity
I would be grateful for explanations of the issues raised in any
of these three questions, or pointers to the relevant literature
(now updated with answers):
How did a particular singularity come to ...
- 149k
16
votes
2
answers
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Surprising appearances of Painlevé transcendents
What are some of your favorite examples of enumerative problems whose answer ended up being (related to) a solution to one of the Painlevé equations?
I have seen examples from enumeration of classes ...
15
votes
4
answers
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What formal properties should resolution of singularities have?
If I were going to propose a new construction as a "replacement for resolution of singularities", what properties would my replacement have to have? [I am going to do no such thing -- this is purely ...
- 5,776
15
votes
1
answer
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The homology groups of the smooth locus of a singular variety
Let $X$ be a complex irreducible variety and denote its smooth locus by $X^{smooth}$. I would like to know what can be said about the induced maps $H_i(X^{smooth};\mathbb{Q})\rightarrow H_i(X;\mathbb{...
- 2,777
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1
answer
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Higher Cerf Theory
Morse functions on a manifold $M$ are defined as smooth maps $f:M \rightarrow \mathbb{R}$, such that at the critical points we can find local coordinates so that $$f(x_1,\dots,x_n)=-x_1^2-x_2^2-\dots-...
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Singular semi-Riemannian Geometry: usefulness and state of the art
My question has two parts, one concerning the state of the art of the subject, and the other the usefulness.
1. State of the art.
Can someone provide references reflecting the state of the art in ...
- 4,304
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votes
2
answers
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"Arithmetic genus" of a plane curve singularity.
I believe that the following questions are very basic, but I don't know how to get a reference.
Consider a curve in the plane $C\in \mathbb C^2$ with a singularity at $0$ and suppose it is
...
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votes
1
answer
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Factoriality: local or global?
Let $X$ be an algebraic variety. I have read the following definitions:
$X$ is factorial if every Weil divisor on $X$ is Cartier.
$X$ is locally factorial if all its local rings are unique ...
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13
votes
1
answer
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J.-P. Serre: Duality of regular differentials on singular curves
I already asked this on math.stackexchange.com, but didn't get any responses. I hope it is appropriate here.
Let $X'$ be an irreducible singular algebraic curve over an algebraically closed field $k$, ...
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votes
1
answer
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views
Can a PDE constrain the degree of a $C^\infty$ map germ?
Let $\pi:E\to M$ be a smooth vector bundle over a smooth manifold, with $\text{rank}(E)=\text{dim}(M)$. For a section $\sigma$ of $E$ with a zero at $p\in M$, define the degree of the zero at $p$ to ...
- 3,192
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votes
2
answers
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Implicit function theorem at a singular point?
Let $F:\mathbb{R}^2 \rightarrow \mathbb{R}$ be three times continuously differentiable in some open neighborhood $\mathcal{U}$ of $(0,0)$. Suppose that $F(0,0) = F_x(0,0) = F_y(0,0) = F_{xy}(0,0) = 0$ ...
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Singularities of pairs
In the next days I have to give a talk in which I need to explain some of the usual singularities of pairs that one meets when dealing with the minimal model program: KLT, DLT and LC pairs.
In ...
- 1,150
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1
answer
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Does a resolution of a rational singularity have rationally connected fibers?
A rational singularity is a singularity of a
complex variety $X$ such that for any
resolution $\pi:\; \tilde X\rightarrow X$ the
higher direct images $R^i\pi_*(O_{\tilde X})$
vanish for all $i>0$. ...
- 9,095
12
votes
1
answer
391
views
Fixed point scheme of finite group Cohen-Macaulay?
Let $X$ be a quasi-projective scheme over a field $k$.
Let $G$ be a finite group acting on $X$ whose order is invertible in $k$.
If $X$ is Cohen-Macaulay, can we conclude that the subscheme of fixed ...
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votes
0
answers
328
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Homology of Gersten complex for singular schemes
It is one of the important facts in K-theory/motivic cohomology that the Gersten-type complexes (for Quillen K-theory, Milnor K-theory or more generally Rost's cycle modules) are exact for smooth ...
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570
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Cohomology and conifold transition for the quintic
Let $Y\subset \mathbb{C}P^4$ be the quintic threefold given by the equation $$X^5_0+X^5_1+X^5_2+X^5_3+X^5_4+5X_0X_1X_2X_3X_4=0$$
it has 125 singular points whose links are homeomorphic to $S^2\times S^...
- 9,802
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3
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Singular fibers of generic smooth maps of negative codimension
This is in some sense a follow-up to my question on submersions.
Let $f\colon\thinspace M\to N$ be a generic smooth map between closed manifolds of dimensions $m$ and $n$. Assume that the codimension $...
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2
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Classification of singularities of plane curves of fixed degree (reference request)
We know the answers to some questions like What is the maximal number of singularities of (reduced) plane curves of degree $d$? for general $d$ (in this case $\tfrac{1}{2}d(d-1)$, obtained by $d$ ...
- 1,114
11
votes
1
answer
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Valuation of an ideal in a two-dimensional regular local ring
Let $f,g$ be two coprime elements in the ring $K[[x,y]]$, with $K$ a field.
What is the smallest integer $n$ such that the inclusion of ideals $$(x^n)\subset (f,g)$$ holds in $K[[x,y]]$? Can we ...
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votes
0
answers
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views
What is the motivation for a Frobenius manifold?
A Frobenius manifold is a type of manifolds with extra structure.
The main examples are quantum cohomology (viewed as a space itself), GBV algebras, the ``Saito'' examples arising from singularities (...
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votes
2
answers
1k
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Resolution of singularities for flat families.
Is there a resolution of singularities for flat families?
More precisely, if $X \rightarrow \mathbb{A} ^n$ is a flat map, does there exist a map $Y \rightarrow X$ such that, for every $p \in \mathbb{...
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votes
2
answers
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Analytical formula for topological degree
At the first page of the following article http://arxiv.org/pdf/1004.1018v1.pdf [edit: the formula on the arXiv differs from the formula in the published paper, and the formula displayed below is the ...
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1
answer
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Linearization instability and singular points of algebraic varieties
In a well known 1973 paper, Fischer and Marsden pointed out (with similar, contemporary remarks made in the physics literature by Brill and Deser) that the space of solutions of some non-linear ...
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1
answer
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Factoriality vs $\mathbf{Q}$-factoriality for threefolds hypersurfaces with isolated singularities
Let $X \subset \mathbf{P}^4$ be a complex threefold hypersurface with isolated singularities.
We denote as usual by $\textrm{Cl}(X)$ the group of Weil divisors modulo linear equivalence and by $\...
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votes
1
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Picard group generated by effective divisors: counterexample?
Let $X$ be an integral variety defined over an algebraically closed field $k$ of characteristic 0 with finitely generated Picard group $Pic(X)$ and such that $k[X]^\times=k^\times$ (i.e. the only ...
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Analogue of singularity theory in other categories
Whitney, Thom, Mather, Arnold and others develoved the singularity theory of smooth maps.
Does there exist any analogue of this theory in the category of TOP or PL (or Lipschitz) maps?
I mean notions ...
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votes
1
answer
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Du Val singularity of type G=A,D,E and "small" representations of G
We all know that a simple singularity $W_G(x_1,x_2,x_3)=0$ of type G=A,D,E has the following nice deformation involving the Cartan subalgebra $\mathfrak{h}$ of the Lie algebra $\mathfrak{g}$ of $G$. ...
- 6,063
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0
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Can I compute the cohomology of the complement of a log canonical divisor as if it were normal crossings?
Let $X$ be a smooth projective variety and $D$ a log-canonical divisor and let $U = X \setminus D$. I have heard the slogan "log-canonical is just as good as normal crossings for Hodge theory". This ...
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3
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Link of a singularity
I would like to understand the topological type of a link of a singularity in a simple example. Consider for instance the cone ${xy-z^2=0}\subset\mathbb{C}^3$.
If we set $x = x_1+ix_2, y = y_1+iy_2, z ...
user56259
9
votes
2
answers
2k
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Which weighted projective spaces (and their finite quotients) are local complete intersections?
Let $G$ be a finite subgroup of $\textrm{Gl}_{n+1}(k)$ (where $k$ is an algebraically closed field). My question is: do there exist examples of $G$ such that the corresponding quotient $P$ of $\mathbb{...
- 16.5k
9
votes
3
answers
1k
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hyperplane sections of isolated hypersurface singularities.
Given an isolated singularity $p$ in a hypersurface $Y$ of dimension $n$ (let say a surface in $\mathbb{P}^3$). I can intersect $Y$ with a hyperplane $H$ passing through $p$ such that it induces a ...
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votes
1
answer
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Obtaining non-normal varieties by pushout
In his answer to this MO question, Karl Schwede claimed that every non-normal variety can be obtained by an appropriate pushout diagram, as sketched in that answer. This would give substance to the ...
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9
votes
1
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996
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Do the cohomology groups of the structure sheaf of a smooth resolution depend on the resolution?
Let $X$ be an affine variety. Let $Y$ be smooth and let the map $f\colon Y\rightarrow X$ be proper birational. We will call $Y$ a smooth resolution of $X$.
Do the cohomology groups $H^i(Y,\mathcal{O}...
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2
answers
874
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Can we perturb a map $\mathbb{R}^n \to \mathbb{R}^n$ to have high rank?
Let $\mathbb{D}^n$ be the closed $n$-dimensional unit ball, and let $f:\mathbb{D}^n \to \mathbb{R}^n$ be smooth.
Suppose that $df$ is invertible outside a set of Hausdorff dimension $\le n-1$, and ...
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0
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Does every sequence of deformation of singularities eventually become equisingular?
Suppose we are over a field of characteristic zero and $f_i\colon X_i\to \mathrm{Spec}(R_i)$ $(i=1,2,\cdots)$ are flat families of singularities over DVRs. Assume that the generic fiber of $f_i$ is ...
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