Buddhadev HajraTitle: On local fundamental groups of normal complex spaces.
Abstract: For a normal complex analytic space X and a point x ∈ X, we will define the local fundamental group π^x_1(X) of X at x. In an old paper by Bingener–Flenner, the authors considered the variation of (algebraic) local fundamental groups of Q-schemes. But we will define a topological analogue of this variation as our definition of the local fundamental group is also topological in nature. I will sketch the main idea of our proof of the finite Galois descent of upper semicontinuity of the local fundamental group at a factorial complex analytic germ. An application of the upper semicontinuity of the local fundamental groups at a special Gorenstein normal singularity will be given. However, finite Galois descent of upper semicontinuity of the local first homology group (defined similarly) at a smooth germ fails in general. For this, we will see an example. If time permits, I will discuss various other results about the variation of the local fundamental groups and local first homology groups for the normal complex analytic germs. This talk is based on my work with Rajendra V. Gurjar and Sudarshan R. Gurjar.