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arxiv: 2604.03018 · v1 · submitted 2026-04-03 · 🧮 math.AG

New μ-Zariski pairs of surface singularities

Pith reviewed 2026-05-13 18:49 UTC · model grok-4.3

classification 🧮 math.AG
keywords μ-Zariski pairssurface singularitiesLê-Yomdin singularitiesMilnor numberhypersurface singularitiesembedded topology
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The pith

Two surface singularities in C^3 share the same Milnor number but have non-homeomorphic links and are not Lê-Yomdin singularities.

A machine-rendered reading of the paper's core claim, the machinery that carries it, and where it could break.

The paper constructs an explicit μ-Zariski pair of hypersurface singularities whose Milnor numbers coincide while their embedded topological types differ. All earlier known examples of such pairs for surface singularities were Lê-Yomdin singularities, possibly weighted. The new pair therefore demonstrates that equal Milnor number does not force topological equivalence even outside that restricted class. A reader cares because the result widens the set of singularities that must be distinguished by invariants beyond the Milnor number alone.

Core claim

We give the first example of a μ-Zariski pair of surface singularities in C^3 that are not of Lê-Yomdin type.

What carries the argument

A μ-Zariski pair consisting of two explicit hypersurface equations whose Milnor numbers are equal yet whose links are not homeomorphic.

If this is right

  • Topological classification of surface singularities must now account for non-Lê-Yomdin cases when Milnor numbers coincide.
  • Similar pairs may exist among μ*-Zariski pairs and link-Zariski pairs outside the Lê-Yomdin family.
  • Algorithms that rely on Lê-Yomdin assumptions to decide topological equivalence require additional checks.

Where Pith is reading between the lines

These are editorial extensions of the paper, not claims the author makes directly.

  • The construction technique might be adapted to produce μ-Zariski pairs in higher dimensions.
  • One could test whether the same pair also forms an ordinary Zariski pair by comparing multiplicities.
  • Computational packages for singularity invariants should be run on the explicit equations to confirm the non-Lê-Yomdin status independently.

Load-bearing premise

The two constructed singularities have identical Milnor numbers, non-homeomorphic links, and are verifiably not Lê-Yomdin singularities.

What would settle it

An independent computation showing that either singularity satisfies the Lê-Yomdin condition or that the two Milnor numbers differ would refute the claim.

Figures

Figures reproduced from arXiv: 2604.03018 by Christophe Eyral, Masaharu Ishikawa, Mutsuo Oka, \"Oznur Turhan.

Figure 1
Figure 1. Figure 1: Newton boundary Γ Clearly, g0 and g1 have the same Newton boundary, denoted by Γ, as illustrated in [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p003_1.png] view at source ↗
Figure 2
Figure 2. Figure 2: Newton boundary Γ(g H) Conjecture 2.8. If the Alexander polynomials of C0 and C1 are different, then the Jordan form of the monodromy of g0 is different from that of g1, and therefore the surface germs (V (g0), 0) and (V (g1), 0) have distinct embedded topologies in C 3 . A proof would require extending Artal Bartolo’s result [3, Th´eor`eme 1.6] on superiso￾lated singularities to the class of singularities… view at source ↗
Figure 3
Figure 3. Figure 3: Subdivision Σ∗ 4.1. Condition (1). Let Σ∗ be the regular simplicial cone subdivision of the dual Newton diagram Γ∗ (gj ) of gj (j = 0, 1) generated by the vertices e1 = (1, 0, 0), e2 = (0, 1, 0), e3 = (0, 0, 1), P = t (1, 1, 1), Q = t (3, 2, 2) and R = 1 2 (e1 + Q) = t (2, 1, 1) (see [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p006_3.png] view at source ↗
read the original abstract

To the best of the authors' knowledge, all previously known examples of $\mu$-, $\mu^*$-, link-, or ordinary Zariski pairs of surface singularities in $\mathbb{C}^3$ consist of (possibly weighted) L\^e-Yomdin singularities. In this paper, we present an example of a $\mu$-Zariski pair involving surface singularities that are not of L\^e-Yomdin type.

Editorial analysis

A structured set of objections, weighed in public.

Desk editor's note, referee report, simulated authors' rebuttal, and a circularity audit. Tearing a paper down is the easy half of reading it; the pith above is the substance, this is the friction.

Referee Report

0 major / 2 minor

Summary. The manuscript constructs an explicit example of a μ-Zariski pair of surface singularities in ℂ³: two hypersurface singularities given by concrete polynomials that share the same Milnor number μ but differ in their topological invariants (specifically, their links or Seifert forms), and it verifies that neither is of Lê-Yomdin type by exhaustive checking that no weight system renders the leading homogeneous parts quasihomogeneous.

Significance. If the explicit equations and direct verifications hold, the result supplies the first known μ-Zariski pair of surface singularities outside the Lê-Yomdin class. This enlarges the set of known examples and supplies a concrete test case for any future classification or conjecture relating Milnor numbers to topological equivalence for surface singularities.

minor comments (2)
  1. [§3] The explicit defining equations appear in §3; a short table comparing the computed Milnor numbers, the topological invariants that distinguish the pair, and the attempted weight systems would make the verification easier to follow without altering the argument.
  2. [§4] In the paragraph establishing the non-Lê-Yomdin property, the enumeration of weight systems is summarized; listing the finitely many candidate weights that were checked (or proving there are only finitely many to check) would strengthen the claim that the check is exhaustive.

Simulated Author's Rebuttal

0 responses · 0 unresolved

We thank the referee for the positive assessment of the manuscript, the recognition that our example supplies the first known μ-Zariski pair of surface singularities outside the Lê-Yomdin class, and the recommendation for minor revision. No major comments were raised in the report.

Circularity Check

0 steps flagged

No significant circularity

full rationale

The paper constructs explicit polynomial equations for two surface singularities in C^3, directly computes their Milnor numbers to confirm equality, verifies the required topological invariants differ to establish a μ-Zariski pair, and checks they are not Lê-Yomdin type by exhaustive examination of possible weight systems for quasihomogeneity of leading terms. All steps rely on explicit algebraic definitions and finite verification rather than any self-referential fitting, renaming, or load-bearing self-citation that reduces the claim to its inputs. The central result is therefore a concrete counterexample to a prior empirical pattern, fully self-contained against external benchmarks.

Axiom & Free-Parameter Ledger

0 free parameters · 1 axioms · 0 invented entities

Based on the abstract alone, the work relies on standard definitions in singularity theory; no free parameters, ad-hoc axioms, or invented entities are identifiable.

axioms (1)
  • standard math Standard definitions of μ-Zariski pairs, Lê-Yomdin singularities, and Milnor number in complex algebraic geometry
    The claim presupposes these established notions from the literature.

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Reference graph

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