Hypersurface singularities and Milnor equisingularity (Q851497)

Let \(f:(\mathbb C^{n+1}, 0)\to (\mathbb C,0)\) be an analytic function and \(s\) the dimension of its critical locus \(\sum(f)\) at the origin. Let \(F_f\) be the Milnor fibre of \(f\) at the origin. Let \(U\subseteq \mathbb C^{n+1}\) be an open neighbourhood of \(0\in \mathbb C^{n+1}\) such that \(f\) is defined on \(U\). For \(q\in U\) let \(f_q:=f| _{G^{-1}(G(q))}\) with \(G=(z_0, \dots, z_{s-1})\) and \(z=(z_0,\dots, z_n)\) a set of local coordinates for \(U\) at the origin. \(f_q\) is called a simple \(\mu\)-constant family at the origin iff at the origin \(f_0\) has an isolated critical point, \(\sum(f)\) is smooth, \(G| _{\sum(f)}\) is a submersion and, for all \(q\in\sum (f)\) close to the origin, the Milnor number \(\mu_q(f_q)\) is independent of \(q\). The main result is the following: Assume that \(\dim_0\sum(f_0)=0\). Then, the rank \(\widetilde{b}_{n-s}\) of the reduced integral homology \(\widetilde{H}_{n-s}(F_f)\) is equal to the \(s\)-dimensional Lê number \(\lambda_{f,z}^s(0)\) if and only if \(f_q\) is a simple \(\mu\)-constant family. As a corollary it is shown that the vanishing cycles of \(f\), as an object in the category of perverse sheaves, cannot be semi-simple in nontrivial cases.