Limits of PGL(3)-translates of plane curves. I (Q847140)

In a series of two papers [for part II, cf. J. Pure Appl. Algebra 214, No. 5, 548--564 (2010; Zbl 1189.14034)] the authors describe the closure of the orbit of a plane curve under the action of the projective linear group. The knowledge of the boundary is useful for computing several characteristic numbers of families of plane curves. The target of the paper under review (the first one in the sequel) is a set-theoretical description of limit curves, arising when the matrix of the linear map becomes singular. Let \(f\) be the natural rational map from the space of matrices \(\mathbb P^8\) to the space \(\mathbb P^D\), parametrizing plane curves of degree \(d\), which define one orbit. The authors' main result is a description of the exceptional divisor, obtained by resolving the singularities of \(f\). The description depends on five features of limit curves \(C\) and their supports \(C'\), namely: the linear components, the non-linear components, the points at which the tangent cone of \(C\) is supported on at least three lines, the Newton polygon of \(C\) at singular and inflection points of \(C'\) and the Puiseux expansion of branches of \(C\) at singular points of \(C'\).