Bi-Lipschitz geometry of complex surface singularities (Q1018078)

The authors analyze some questions closely related with the following problem of metric geometry: whether a neighborhood of a point in an algebraic or semialgebraic set \(V\) is bi-Lipschitz equivalent to a metric cone; the metric is given by distance on \(V\). First some recent results in this direction for real and complex singularities are briefly discussed [see Commun. Pure Appl. Math. 61, No. 11, 1483--1494 (2008; Zbl 1156.32019); Math. Ann. 342, No. 1, 139--144 (2008; Zbl 1153.14003)]. Then the authors explain that the \(\mu\)-constant family \(z^{15}+zy^7+x^5+txy^6 =0\) from [\textit{J. Briançon} and \textit{J.-P. Speder}, C. R. Acad. Sci., Paris, Sér. A 280, 365--367 (1975; Zbl 0331.32010)] does not have a constant bi-Lipschitz type.