A class of singularity of arbitrary pairs and log canonicalizations (Q2004303)

Let \(X\) be a normal algebraic variety with an effective \(\mathbb{R}\)-divisor \(\Delta\). Without assuming that \(K_X + \Delta\) is \(\mathbb{R}\)-Cartier, the author of the paper under review defines a discrepancy \(\alpha(P,X,\Delta)\), where \(P\) is any prime divisor, and the notion of \emph{pseudo-lc} singularity thereof (see Definitions 4.1 and 4.2 in the text). Moreover, as the main result he proves (Theorem 1.1 of the paper) that there exists a projective birational morphism \(h: W \longrightarrow X\) such that every \(h\)-exceptional prime divisor \(E_h\) satisfies \(\alpha(E_h,X,\Delta) < -1\), the reduced \(h\)-exceptional divisor \(E_{\text{red}}\) is \(\mathbb{Q}\)-Cartier and the pair \((W, h_*^{-1}\Delta + E_{\text{red}})\) is lc (in the usual sense). In particular, if \(K_X + \Delta\) was pseudo-lc, then the above morphism \(h\) can be taken to be small (so that \(h\) is a \emph{lc modification} in the sense of Definition 18 in [\textit{J. Kollár}, Peking Math. J. 1, No. 1, 81--107 (2018; Zbl 1439.14035)]). As a further analogy with the lc case, the author proves (Theorem 1.4) that the ring \(\bigoplus_{m \ge 0} H^0(X,\mathcal{O}_X(\llcorner m(K_X + \Delta)\lrcorner))\) is finitely generated, and that Kodaira type vanishing theorem (Theorem 1.5) holds for a Weil divisor \(D\) on \(X\) such that \(D - (K_X + \Delta)\) is ample. Note however that the notions of pseudo-lc and lc pairs coincide only for surfaces (see Corollary 4.16 and Examples 4.10, 4.11). The author also gives a general criterion for a pseudo-lc pair to be lc (see Theorem 1.7). The latter is closely related with the properties of \emph{numerically Cartier divisors} (cf. the proof of Corollary 5.2 and [\textit{S. Boucksom} et al., London Math. Soc. Lect. Note Ser. 417, 29--51 (2014; Zbl 1318.14002)]). All proofs are based on a skillful application of MMP with scaling.