On a question of B. Teissier (Q486321)

In the article under review an answer, in characteristic zero, to a question posed by \textit{B. Teissier} [in: Valuation theory and its applications. Volume II. Proceedings of the international conference and workshop, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada, July 28--August 11, 1999. Providence, RI: American Mathematical Society (AMS). 361--459 (2003; Zbl 1061.14016)] is given. The problem is on the possibility to find a resolution of singularities of an embeddable algebraic variety (or of a suitable scheme) ``inside'' an equivariant morphism of toric varieties. More precisely, the main results of the paper are, essentially, as follows. For us, ``variety'' means an irreducible algebraic variety over a base field \(k\). (1) Let \(X\) be a closed subvariety of a smooth variety \(S\) and consider an embedded resolution of \(X \subset S\), that is a projective birational morphism \(\pi :W \to S\) such that \(W\) and \(Y\) (the strict transform of \(Y\) in \(W\)) are smooth. We also assume that \(D\), the exceptional set of \(\pi\), is a simple normal crossings divisor of \(W\) and that \(Y\) intersects \(D\) transversally. Then, \(X\) can be embedded into \({\mathbb P}^N\) (for a suitable integer \(N\)), in such a way that there is an algebraic torus \({\mathbb G}\), a smooth toric variety \(Z\) (of torus \(\mathbb G\)) (which may be assumed complete) and an equivariant morphism \(p:Z \to {\mathbb P}^N\) so that \(Y\) can be identified to the strict transform of \(X \subset {\mathbb P}^N\) in \(Z\). Moreover, \(Y\) intersects the toric boundary of \(Z\) transversally. Here, \( \mathbb G = {\mathbb P}^N - (H_0 \cup \ldots \cup H_N\), where \(H_j:z_j=0\), for all \(j\), for suitable homogeneous coordinates \(z_0, \ldots, z_N\); \({\mathbb G} \approx {k^*}^N\). (2) Now we assume \(k\) algebraically closed, of characteristic zero. Let \(X \subset S\) be as in (1). Then there is a closed embedding \(X \to {\mathbb P}^N\) (for a suitable \(N\)), homogeneous coordinates \(z_0, \ldots, z_N\) of \({\mathbb P}^N\) and a toric morphism of smooth toric varieties \({\tilde p}:{\tilde Z} \to {\mathbb P}^N\), such that: (a) if \(\mathbb G\) is as in (1), \(X \cup {\mathbb G}\) is dense in \(X\), (b) \({\tilde p}\) is the composition of monoidal transforms with equivariant smooth centers of codimension two, (c) the strict transform \(Y\) of \(X\) in \(Z\) is smooth and intersects the toric boundary of \(Z\) transversally. In (2) we cannot assert that the induced resolution of singularities \(Y \to X\) is an isomorphism over the open set of regular points of \(Y\). Both in (1) and (2) the embedding \(X \to {\mathbb P}^N\) is induced by the embedding \(S \to {\mathbb P}^N\) defined by \(nL\), where \(L\) is any ample divisor of \(S\) and \(N\) is a suitable integer. Statement (2) follows rather easily from (1), if one applies some known but hard results. (2) partially answers a question of Teissier, which appears, e.g., in [``A viewpoint on local resolution of singularities'' [Oberwolfach Rep. 6, No. 3, 2405--2470 (2009; Zbl 1192.00066)]. The original formulation of the problem required that \(X=\mathrm{Spec}(A)\), where \(A\) is a noetherian equicharacteristic excellent local ring, with algebraically closed field, possibly of positive characteristic. In the proof of (1) the author uses, among others, results he obtained in previous works, as well as some due to \textit{H. Hironaka} [Ann. Math. (2) 79, 109--203, 205--326 (1964; Zbl 0122.38603)], \textit{M. Luxton} and \textit{Z. Qu} [Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 363, No. 9, 4853--4876 (2011; Zbl 1230.14014)], and \textit{C. De Concini} and \textit{C. Procesi} [Adv. Stud. Pure Math. 6, 481--513 (1985; Zbl 0596.14041)].