Monotonic invariants under blowups

Abstract

We prove that the numerical invariant [Formula: see text] of a reduced irreducible plane curve singularity germ is non-negative, non-decreasing under blowups and strictly increasing unless the curve is non-singular. This provides a new perspective to understand the question posed by Dimca and Greuel. Moreover, our work can be put in the general framework of discovering monotonic invariants under blowups.