Worst singularities of plane curves of given degree (Q2411210)

Let \({C}_d \) be a reduced plane curve in \(\mathbb{P}^2\) of degree \(d\geq 3\), and let \(P\) be a point in \({C}_d \). In the present paper, starting from different points of view, the author gives answers to some natural questions; the first one is: what is the worst singularity that \({C}_d \) can have at \(P\)? Using the multiplicity \(m_P\) to measure the singularity of the curve \({C}_d \) at \(P\) (respectively the Milnor number \(\mu_P\) of \(P\)), one has \(m_P\leq d\) and \(m_P= d\), (respectively \(\mu_P\leq(d-1)^2\) and \(\mu_P=(d-1)^2\)), if and only if \({C}_d \) is a union of \(d\) lines passing through \(P\). The answer is the same if one uses the number \(\mathrm{lct}_P(\mathbb{P}^2 , C_d )=\sup\{\lambda\in \mathbb{Q}| \text{ the log pair } (\mathbb{P}^2 , {\lambda}C_d) \text{ is log canonical at }P\}\), i.~e., the log canonical threshold of the curve \({C}_d \) at the point \(P\) introduced by \textit{J. Kollár} et al. [Rational and nearly rational varieties. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (2004; Zbl 1060.14073)]; the author proved in fact [Sb. Math. 192, No. 8, 1241--1257 (2001; Zbl 1023.14019); translation from Mat. Sb. 192, No. 8, 155--172 (2001)] that \(\mathrm{lct}_P(\mathbb{P}^2 , C_d )\geq 2/d\) and \(\mathrm{lct}_P(\mathbb{P}^2 , C_d )= 2/d\) if and only if \({C}_d \) is a union of \(d\) lines passing through \(P\). The second question is: what is the second worst singularity that \({C}_d \) can have at \(P\)? In the case \(d \geq 5\), a good answer was given in terms of Milnor number by \textit{A. Płoski}, who proved that \(\mu(P) \leq (d - 1)^2 - \lfloor d/2 \rfloor \) [Cent. Eur. J. Math. 12, No. 5, 688--693 (2014; Zbl 1310.14010)], provided that \(m_P < d\), classifying the curves \({C}_d \) for which \(\mu(P) = (d - 1)^2 - \lfloor d/2 \rfloor \) (called Płoski curves). The main goal of the present paper is to answer the same question in terms of log canonical thresholds. The author proves that, when \(m_P < d\), \(\mathrm{lct}_P(\mathbb{P}^2,{C}_d)\geq {{2d-3}\over{ (d -1)^2 }}\) and describes \({C}_d \) in the case when \(\mathrm{lct}_P(\mathbb{P}^2,C_d) = {{2d-3}\over{ (d -1)^2 }}\). Then he proves that, if \(d \geq 4\) and \(\mathrm{lct}_P(\mathbb{P}^2,{C}_d) \leq (2d -3)/(d -1)^2\), one of the following holds: (1) \(m_P = d\), (2) the singularity of \({C}_d\) at \(P\) is of type \( x^{d-1} = xy^{d-1}\), \( x^{d-1} = y^{d}\), \( yx^{d-2} = xy^{d-1} \) or \(yx^{d-2} = y^{d} \); (3) \(d=4\) and \({C}_d\) is a Ploski curve (with \( \mathrm{lct}_P(\mathbb{P}^2,{C}_d) = 5/8\)), thus he is able to describe the five worst singularities that \({C}_d\) can have at the \(P\). As a consequence, dealing with the curve \({C}_d\) (identified with a point of the space \(|{\mathcal O}_{\mathbb{P}^2}(d)|\)) and denoting \(\mathrm{lct}(\mathbb{P}^2,{C_d})=\min\{\mathrm{lct}_P(\mathbb{P}^2,{C_d}):P\in C_d\}\), the author complements some results of \textit{P. Hacking} [Duke Math. J. 124, No. 2, 213--257 (2004; Zbl 1060.14034)], \textit{H. Kim} and \textit{Y. Lee} [Math. Proc. Camb. Philos. Soc. 137, No. 2, 273--280 (2004; Zbl 1055.14032)] about \(\mathrm{lct}(\mathbb{P}^2,{C_d})\) and GIT-stability, proves that every reduced plane curve of degree \(d \geq 4\) whose \(\mathrm{lct}(\mathbb{P}^2,{C_d})\) is smaller than \(5/2d\), is GIT-unstable for the action of the group \(\mathrm{PGL}_3(C)\) and describes GIT-semistable reduced plane curves with \(\mathrm{lct}(\mathbb{P}^2,{C_d})=5/2d\).