Conjectures on stably Newton degenerate singularities (Q823835)

To each singularity \(f:(\mathbb{C}^{n},0)\rightarrow (\mathbb{C},0)\) one may associate a combinatorial object -- the Newton polyhedron \(\Gamma _{+}(f)\) of \(f.\) It is a convex set in \(\mathbb{R}^{n}\) which reflects many properties (topological, analytical) of \(f\) (for generic \(f\) in an appropriate choice of coordinates in \(\mathbb{C}^{n}\)). \textit{A. G. Kushnirenko} [Invent. Math. 32, 1--31 (1976; Zbl 0328.32007)] used \(\Gamma _{+}(f)\) to define non-degenerate singularities. The advantage of non-degeneracy is that, in Arnold's opinion, any interesting invariant of a non-degenerate singularity can be calculated from its Newton polyhedron. The author considers the question if for any singularity \(f\) (degenerate) one can transform\ it in non-degenerate one using two operations on \(f\): adding to \(f\) some quadratic form in new variables (which does not change essentially singularity) and changing coordinates. He does not answer this question in general, but he: 1. presents an interesting method to make some singularities non-degenerate, 2. gives a candidate who may be a counterexample to the above conjecture, 3. answers in negative the conjecture in characteristic \(p,\) 4. ``argues'' that for irreducible plane curve singularities the conjecture is true.