Resolution of singularities and modular Galois theory (Q2706625)

In this fascinating article and autobiography, the author gives a brief history of the resolution of singularities problem from his point of view including his important contributions to the problem. He also discusses various problems in Galois groups including his important conjectures in Galois theory (leading to the recent work of Raynaud and Harbater about the finite images of the fundamental group of affine curves in characteristic \(p\)) and his interactions with many group theorists to help with his very successful program of writing down explicit equations with a given Galois group. Along with the history, Abhyankar also provides some new conjectures and problems. NEWLINENEWLINENEWLINEThere is too much material in this article to summarize in a brief review. The interested reader should consult the article for many insights about singularities, Galois theory and Abhyankar's approach to mathematics.