Stratified Picard-Lefschetz theory (Q1906924)

The classical Picard-Lefschetz theory deals with the problems of the following kind. Let \(A \subset \mathbb{C} \mathbb{P}^n\) be a smooth analytic variety and \(\text{reg} (A)\) the set of all hyperplanes \(X \in (\mathbb{C} \mathbb{P}^n)^*\) transversal to \(A\). For all \(X \in \text{reg} (A)\) the spaces \(A \cap X\) have the same topological type, and the group \(\pi_1 (\text{Reg} (A))\) acts naturally on the space \(H_* (A \cap X)\). Many problems of integral geometry and partial differential equations can be reduced to the study of this monodromy action or of the similar action on the groups \(H_* (X \backslash A)\), \(H_* (\mathbb{C} \mathbb{P}^n \backslash (A \cup X))\), \(H_* (\mathbb{C} \mathbb{P}^n, (A \cup X))\) etc.: this action is responsible for the ramification of many special functions and fundamental solutions given by integral representations [\textit{F. Pham}, `Introduction à l'étude topologique des singularités de Landau.' Gauthier-Villars, Paris (1967; Zbl 0157.27503), \textit{M. F. Atiyah}, \textit{R. Bott} and \textit{L. Garding}, Acta Math. 124, 109--189 (1970; Zbl 0191.11203) and ibid. 131, 145--206 (1973; Zbl 0266.35045), \textit{V. I. Arnol'd}, the author, \textit{V. V. Goryunov} and \textit{O. V. Lyashko}. ``Singularities. I, II.'' Itogi Nauki Tekh., Ser. Sovrem. Probl. Mat., Fundam. Napravleniya 6, 256 p. (1988; Zbl 0691.58002), ibid. 39, 256 pp. (1989; Zbl 0707.58005); English transl.: Encycl. Math. Sci. 6 and 39, Springer-Verlag, Berlin and New-York (1993; Zbl 0787.58001 and Zbl 0778.58001); \textit{V. I. Arnol'd} and the author, Notices Am. Math. Soc. 36, No. 9, 1148--1154 (1989; Zbl 0693.01005), and the author, `Ramified integrals, singularities and lacunas', Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, Boston, London (1994; Zbl 0935.32026)]. The group \(\pi_1 (\text{reg} (A))\) is generated by finitely many simple loops embracing the set \((\mathbb{C} \mathbb{P}^n)^* \backslash \text{reg} (A)\) close to its simplest points (which correspond to planes simply tangent to \(A)\). The monodromy action of any such loop is described by the classical Picard-Lefschetz formula. In this article the author studies similar problems in the case when the variety \(A\) is singular. The main result is the stabilization theorem expressing the ramification of groups \(H_* (A \cap X)\) and \(IH_* (A \cap X)\) close to planes tangent to the singular strata of \(A\) in terms of transversal slices of these strata.