Unfolding plane curves with cusps and nodes

Abstract

Given an irreducible surface germ (X, 0) ⊂ (ℂ3, 0) with a one-dimensional singular set Σ, we denote by δ1 (X, 0) the delta invariant of a transverse slice. We show that δ1 (X, 0) ≥ m0 (Σ, 0), with equality if and only if (X, 0) admits a corank 1 parametrization f :(ℂ2, 0) → (ℂ3, 0) whose only singularities outside the origin are transverse double points and semi-cubic cuspidal edges. We then use the local Euler obstruction Eu(X, 0) in order to characterize those surfaces that have finite codimension with respect to -equivalence or as a frontal-type singularity.