Resolution of singularities of embedded algebraic surfaces.

Publication date 30 March 1998

analytic desingularization resolution of algebraic surfaces resolution of singularities

Research exposition (monographs, survey articles) pertaining to algebraic geometry (14-02) Rational and birational maps (14E05) Global theory and resolution of singularities (algebro-geometric aspects) (14E15) Singularities of surfaces or higher-dimensional varieties (14J17) Modifications; resolution of singularities (complex-analytic aspects) (32S45)

Review text

This book is a classical reference on resolution of algebraic surfaces, embedded into a non-singular projective 3-fold over a perfect field \(k\). It gives a self-contained exposition on results of Zariski and leads up to the author's extensions to the case of characteristic \(p>0\). The principal results are global resolution, global principalization, dominance, birational invariance of dimension of homology groups, as well as (for \(p\neq 2,3,5)\) uniformization and birational resolution. -- The first edition of this book appeared in 1966 (see Zbl 0147.20504). The second edition under review comes in a time of newly increasing interest in resolution of singularities [cf. the work of \textit{A. J. de Jong}, Publ. Math., Inst. Hautes Étud. Sci. 83, 51-93 (1996) with an alternative approach, called ``alterations]. For the recent generation of mathematicians, there may arise some difficulties with the terminology, like the direction of arrows in the introduction (the author is ``blowing down where others are ``blowing up). Here are some remarks on the new edition: It contains an appendix on analytic desingularization in characteristic zero, where a recent short proof is presented. -- From the author's abstract: ``It is hoped that this will remove the fear of desingularization from young minds and embolden them to study it further. The proof ``was inspired by discussion with the control theorist Hector Sussmann, the subanalytic geometer Adam Parusiński, and the algebraic geometer Wolfgang Seiler. Once again this illustrates the fundamental unity of all mathematics \dots By an inductive procedure incorporating the principalization lemma, the hypersurface \(f\) is approximated by a binomial hypersurface, i.e. a hypersurface of the form \(X_1^e+ X_2^{b_{e2}}\cdot\dots\cdot X_n^{b_{en}}\), where \(e\) is a positive integer and \(b_{e2},\dots, b_{en}\) are nonnegative integers. The reduction lemma enables us to further arrange matters so that \(\overline{b}_{e2}+\dots+ \overline{b}_{en}<e\), where \(\overline{b}_{e2},\dots, \overline{b}_{en}\) are the residues of \(b_{e2},\dots, b_{en}\) modulo \(e\). This then is a prototype of a good point of a surface. The final step is the reduction of multiplicity for such points using a ``good point lemma. -- The book concludes with an extended bibliography, including also \textit{H. Hauser}'s recent article on ``Seventeen obstacles for resolution of singularities [in: Singularities. The Brieskorn anniversary volume, Prog. Math. 162, 289-313 (1998)] which the reader may wish to consult for further developments.

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