On the monodromy of complex polynomials (Q1847838)

If \(f: \mathbb{C}^n\to\mathbb{C}\) is a polynomial with bifurcation set \(B_f\) and generic fiber \(F\), there is a natural monodromy representation of the fundamental group \(\pi_1(\mathbb{C}\setminus B_f)\) in the homology of \(F\). The monodromy operator on \(\widetilde H_q(F)\) corresponding to a loop around a large disk containing \(B_f\) is the monodromy at infinity \(M_\infty(f)_q\). In this note the authors prove that the monodromy representation in \(\widetilde H_q(F)\) is trivial if and only if \(M_\infty(f)_q= \text{Id}\). More precisely, they use a decomposition of \(\widetilde H_q(F)\) as a direct sum of subgroups \(V_{q,i}\) of vanishing cycles defined by each point in the bifurcation set, and they show how the matrix of \(M_\infty(f)_q\) associated to that direct sum decomposition determines the monodromy representation. They give also analogous results for the monodromy representation in the cohomology groups of \(F\).