Proportionality of Indices of 1-Forms on Singular Varieties

J. -P. Brasselet, J. Seade, T. Suwa

Published 2005-03-21, updated 2005-05-11Version 2

This article is about 1-forms on complex analytic varieties and it is particularly relevant when the variety has non-isolated singularities. We first show how the radial extension technique of M.-H. Schwartz can be adapted to 1-forms, allowing us to define the Schwartz index of 1-forms with isolated singularities on singular varieties. Then we see how MacPherson's local Euler obstruction, adapted to 1-forms in general, relates to the Schwartz index, thus obtaining a proportionality theorem for these indices analogous to the one for vector fields. We also extend the definition of the GSV-index to 1-forms with isolated singularities on (local) complete intersections with non-isolated singularities that satisfy the Thom $a_f$-condition, thus extending to this setting the index introduced by Ebeling and Gusein-Zade. When the form is the differential of a holomorphic function $h$, this index measures the number of critical points of a generic perturbation of $h$ on a local Milnor fiber. We prove the corresponding proportionality theorem for this index. These constructions can be made global on compact varieties and provide an alternative way for studying the various characteristic classes of singular varities and the relations amongst them.