Embeddings of curves in the plane (Q1305020)

This paper deals with polynomials of the form \[ p(x,y)=ax^n+by^m+\sum_{im+jn \leq mn}c_{ij}x^iy^j \] \(a,\;b,\;c_{ij} \in K\), a field of characteristic 0, and in case \(K=\mathbb{C}\), the field of complex numbers, with their 0-loci in \({\mathbb{C}^2}\). The Newton polygon of these polynomials are triangles or line segments. In theorem 1.1 the authors give conditions on the coefficients so that two of these polynomials are not equivalent under automorphisms of \(K[x,y]\). In this paper the problem of finding a canonical model of a given polynomial, is arranged by considering certain elementary transformations of \(K[t] \times K[t]\) and by Whitehead's idea of \textit{peak reduction}. An application, on polynomials whose 0-loci admit a one-variable parametrization, is discussed in proposition 1.2 and in theorem 1.3, where in particular, using a result of \textit{V. Ya. Lin} and \textit{M. G. Zaidenberg} [in: Voronezh Winter Math. Sch., Transl., Ser. 2, Am. Math. Soc. 184(37), 111-130 (1998; Zbl 0955.32013)], irreducible simply connected curves are related to certain polynomials of the above form. Another application concerns the number of inequivalent embeddings of algebraic curves (with a place at infinity) in \({\mathbb{C}^2}\) (here equivalent means: under automorphisms of \({\mathbb{C}^2}\)). By a result of \textit{S. S. Abhyankar} and \textit{B. Singh} [Am. J. Math. 100, 99-175 (1978; Zbl 0383.14007)]\ an irreducible algebraic curve with a place at infinity cannot have infinitely many inequivalent embeddings in \({\mathbb{C}^2}\), while the first example of such a curve with at least two inequivalent embeddings in \({\mathbb{C}^2}\) is contained in a paper by \textit{S. S. Abhyankar} and \textit{A. Sathaye} [Proc. Am. Math. Soc. 124, No. 4, 1061-1069 (1996; Zbl 0880.14012)]. The authors prove that for any \(k \geq 2\) there is an irreducible algebraic curve (with a place at infinity), which has at least \(k\) inequivalent embeddings in \({\mathbb{C}^2}\), i.e. there are arbitrary (but finitely) many isomorphic algebraic curves in \({\mathbb{C}^2}\), belonging to different orbits under the action of \(\Aut({\mathbb{C}^2})\).