Toric singularities revisited (Q2497420)

A toric variety is a normal irreducible separated scheme \(X\), locally of finite type over a field \(k\), which contains an algebraic torus \(T\cong (k^\ast)^d\) as an open set and is endowed with an algebraic action \(T\times X\to X\) extending the group multiplication \(T\times T\to T\). \textit{K. Kato} extended the theory of toric geometry to an absolute theory, without base [Am. J. Math. 116 (5), 1073--1099 (1994; Zbl 0832.14002)] by replacing the notion of a toroidal embedding with the notion of a log structure. A toroidal embedding is a pair \((X,U)\) consisting of a scheme \(X\) locally of finite type and an open subscheme \(U\subset X\) such that \((X,U)\) is isomorphic, locally in the \(\acute{\text{e}}\)tale topology, to a pair consisting of a toric variety and its algebraic torus. A log structure on a scheme \(X\) is a morphism of sheaves of monoids \(\alpha: \mathcal M_X\to\mathcal O_X\) restricting to an isomorphism \(\alpha^{-1}\mathcal O_X^\ast\cong\mathcal O_X^\ast\). A toric variety equipped with its canonical logarithmic structure is log regular. Kato proved that fine saturated log regular schemes behave very much like toric varieties. For instance they are normal and Cohen-Macaulay. The author extends this theory by removing normality requirements.