Gradient-like flows and self-indexing in stratified Morse theory (Q1765331)

The purpose of this paper is to develop the idea of self-indexing and the technique of gradient-like vector fields in the setting of Morse theory on a complex algebraic stratfication. The main result is contained in Theorem 1.5 and concerns the local existence, near a Morse critical point, of gradient-like vector fields satifying certain ``stratified dimension bounds up to fuzz'' for the ascending and descending sets. The existence in this general context of self-indexing Morse functions is obtained in Theorem 1.6 as a global consequence. The results are directly connected to the informal notes of \textit{R. MacPherson} [``Intersection homology and perverse sheaves'', preprint (1990)] and to the paper of the author and \textit{R. MacPherson} [in: Symplectic geometry and Topology, IAS/ Park City Math. Ser. 7, 267--293 (1999; Zbl 0941.32031)].