Seminar of Algebra

To an isolated hypersurface singularity, defined by a complex polynomial in several variables, one associates several numerical invariants via Hodge theory. There are several conjectures relating these invariants, as the Durfee conjecture on an inequality between the Milnor number and the geometric genus. In this talk, I will present variants of the Durfee conjecture, and explain an application to the study of degenerations of Calabi-Yau varieties, generalizing results of Voisin and others. This is based on joint work with Dennis Eriksson.