On the k-th Milnor and k-th Tjurina Numbers of a Foliation

TL;DR

This paper introduces and studies the $k$-th Milnor and Tjurina numbers for holomorphic foliations with isolated singularities, establishing formulas, invariance properties, and bounds, and addressing related conjectures.

Contribution

It defines the $k$-th Milnor and Tjurina numbers, derives explicit formulas, analyzes their invariance, and proves bounds, extending classical results to higher-order invariants.

Findings

The $k$-th Milnor number is a topological invariant.

The $k$-th Tjurina number is not a topological invariant.

A sharp lower bound for the $k$-th Tjurina number of weighted homogeneous polynomials is established.

Abstract

In this paper, we introduce the notions of the $k$-th Milnor number and the $k$-th Tjurina number for a germ of holomorphic foliation on the complex plane with an isolated singularity at the origin. We develop a detailed study of these invariants, establishing explicit formulas and relating them to other indices associated with holomorphic foliations. In particular, we obtain an explicit expression for the $k$-th Milnor number of a foliation and, as a consequence, a formula for the $k$-th Milnor number of a holomorphic function. We analyze their topological behavior, proving that the $k$-th Milnor number of a holomorphic function is a topological invariant, whereas the $k$-th Tjurina number is not. In dimension two, we provide a positive answer to a conjecture posed by Hussain, Liu, Yau, and Zuo concerning a sharp lower bound for the $k$-th Tjurina number of a weighted homogeneous polynomial. We also present a counterexample to another conjecture of Hussain, Yau, and Zuo regarding the ratio between these invariants. Moreover, we establish a fundamental relation linking the $k$-th Tjurina numbers of a foliation and of an invariant curve via the G\'omez-Mont--Seade--Verjovsky index, and we extend Teissier's Lemma to the setting of $k$-th polar intersection numbers. In addition, we derive an upper bound for the $k$-th Milnor number of a foliation in terms of its $k$-th Tjurina number along balanced divisors of separatrices. Finally, for non-dicritical quasi-homogeneous foliations, we obtain a closed formula for their $k$-th Milnor and Tjurina numbers.