Thom polynomials for maps of curves with isolated singularities (Q2377570)

The authors obtain formulas for the degree of the Lyashko-Looijenga map restricted to the strata of Laurent polynomials with a single finite degenerate value. In the case of regular polynomials, the degrees of the restriction of the Lyashko-Looijenga map to all strata were computed earlier [see, i.e., \textit{S. K. Lando} and \textit{D. Zvonkine}, Funct. Anal. Appl. 33 178--188 (1999; Zbl 0953.32007)]. The main ingridient of the present study is the theory of universal residual polynomials in characteristic classes due to \textit{R. Thom} [Comment. Math. Helv. 28, 17--86 (1954; Zbl 0057.15502)] and to \textit{M. E. Kazaryan} [Russ. Math. Surveys, 58, No. 4, 665--724 (2003; Zbl 1062.58039)] in the case of singularities and multisingularities, respectively. As a result, the authors give explicit universal expressions for residual polynomials in spaces of functions on complex curves with isolated singularities and multisingularities in terms of four basic characteristic classes. They underline that these expressions lead to a partial description of a stratification of Hurwitz spaces.