Resolution of surface singularities. Three lectures with an appendix by H. Hironaka. Ed. by U. Orbanz (Q801983)

This volume is a collection of three lectures on desingularization of surface singularities by V. Cossart, J. Giraud and U. Orbanz, together with the notes by B. M. Bennett of the seminar held by H. Hironaka at Bowdoin College in 1967. - After H. Hironaka's sensational proof of the existence of a desingularization of a variety over a field of characteristic zero [\textit{H. Hironaka}, Ann. Math., II. Ser. 79, 109-203; 205-326 (1964; Zbl 0122.386)], \textit{O. Zariski} [cf. Atti Accad. Naz. Lincei, VIII. Ser., Rend., Cl. Sci. Fis. Mat. Nat. 43 (1967), 135-146 (1968; Zbl 0168.189)] gave (1967) a new proof for surfaces based on his theory of equisingularity. \textit{H. Hironaka} himself worked out O.Zariski's ideas to give the proof for surfaces in characteristic p \(>0\) (notes by B. M. Bennett which handle the hypersurface case), whereas S. S. Abhyankar refined O. Zariski's notion of good and bad points according to their behavior by blowing-up (report by U. Orbanz for surfaces in characteristic zero). \textit{J. Giraud} gives an account of J. Lipman's proof [cf. \textit{J. Lipman}, Ann. Math., II. Ser. 107, 151-207 (1978; Zbl 0349.14004)], based on duality theory, which reduces the question to the desingularization of rational surface singularities. Recalling Jung's ideas (last century), J. Giraud gives the main features of O. Zariski's proof. - \textit{V. Cossart} translates Zariski's and Abhyankar's method into terms of ''characteristic polyhedron'' and shows in this way the link between Jung's, Zariski's, Abhyankar's and Hironaka's methods.