Local uniformization and arc spaces (Q1703600)

In the sixties, J. Nash initiated the study of the space of arcs of an algebraic variety \(X\), centered in some singular point, denoted by \(X_\infty^{\text{Sing}}\). This space has the structure of an (infinite dimensional) algebraic variety. J. Nash proved that \(X^{\text{Sing}}_\infty\) has a finite number of irreducible components, when the characteristic of the base field is zero. The proof of J. Nash is based on the existence of a resolution of singularities of \(X\). Therefore his result can be extended to any algebraic variety \(X\), for which there exists a resolution of singularities \(Y\longrightarrow X\). The goal of this paper, is to strengthen this result. Roughly speaking, the authors show that if local uniformization holds for \(X\), then the space of arcs of \(X\), centred in some singular point, has a finite number of components. Their result is a bit more general, and is the following: Theorem: Let \(X\) be a variety defined over a field \(k\), and \(Z\) be a subvariety of \(X\). Assume that for every \(z\in Z\), and every irreducible subvariety \(V\subset Z\), with \(z\in V\), local uniformization holds on \(V\) at \(z\). Then the space of arcs of \(X\) centered in a point of \(Z\), has a finite number of irreducible components.