A comparison of deformations and geometric study of varieties of associative algebras.
The Witten deformation is an analytic method proposed by Witten which, given a Morse function on a smooth compact manifold , allows to prove the Morse inequalities. The aim of this article is to generalise the Witten deformation to stratified Morse functions (in the sense of stratified Morse theory as developed by Goresky and MacPherson) on a singular complex algebraic curve. In a previous article the author developed the Witten deformation for the model of an algebraic curve with cone-like singularities...
Consider a family of integral complex locally planar curves whose relative Hilbert scheme of points is smooth. The decomposition theorem of Beilinson, Bernstein, and Deligne asserts that the pushforward of the constant sheaf on the relative Hilbert scheme splits as a direct sum of shifted semisimple perverse sheaves. We will show that no summand is supported in positive codimension. It follows that the perverse filtration on the cohomology of the compactified Jacobian of an integral plane curve...