A Morse theoretic approach to non-isolated singularities and applications to optimization (Q2229979)

Let \(X\) be a smooth submanifold of \(\mathbb C^N\) and let \(f\vert X\) be a nonconstant polynomial function with isolated critical points \(P_1, \dots , P_l\). Given a generic linear function on \(\mathbb C^N\), the perturbation \(f_t = f-tg\) is a holomorphic Morse function for all but finitely many \(t \in \mathbb C\). In this case the limit of the critical points of \(f_t\) is equal to the total sum \(\sum n_iP_i\), where \(n_i\) is the Milnor number of \(f\vert X\) at \(P_i\). The authors generalize this easy result to the case of arbitrary complex affine varieties. First, they define a limit of the set \(\mathrm{Crit}(f_t\vert X_{\mathrm{reg}})\), \(t \rightarrow 0\), of critical points of the restriction of \(f_t\) to the regular locus of \(X \subset \mathbb C^N\) and then prove that the limit is equal to the sum \(\sum n_i\mathrm{Crit}(g\vert X_i)\), where \(X_i\) are smooth locally closed subvarieties which are components of a suitable stratification given by the Lagrangian cycles of the perverse vanishing cycle functors \(^p \Phi_{f-c}([T^\ast_X\mathbb C^N])\) locally constant along \(X_i\) for all values of \(c \in \mathbb C\) and all \(i\), while \(n_i\) are nonnegative integers equal to the multiplicities of the corresponding components \([T^\ast_{\overline{X_i}}\mathbb C^N]\) of the associated characteristic cycle [\textit{D. B. Massey}, Topology Appl. 103, No. 1, 55--93 (2000; Zbl 0952.32019)]. The authors also discuss several concrete examples, some applications in convex algebraic geometry and related topics similarly to [\textit{H.-C. Graf von Bothmer} and \textit{K. Ranestad}, Bull. Lond. Math. Soc. 41, No. 2, 193--197 (2009; Zbl 1185.14047); \textit{D. B. Massey}, Numerical control over complex analytic singularities. Providence, RI: American Mathematical Society (AMS) (2003; Zbl 1025.32010)].