We study the singularity at the origin of $\mathbb{C}^{n+1}$ of an arbitrary homogeneous polynomial in $n+1$ variables with complex coefficients, by investigating the monodromy characteristic polynomials $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6E5}_{l}(t)$ as well as the relation between the monodromy zeta function and the Hodge spectrum of the singularity. In the case $n=2$, we give a description of $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6E5}_{C}(t)=\unicode[STIX]{x1D6E5}_{1}(t)$ in terms of the multiplier ideal.

We compute the Alexander polynomial of a nonreduced nonirreducible complex projective plane curve with mutually coprime orders of vanishing along its irreducible components in terms of certain multiplier ideals.

In this paper we generalize the definitions of singularities of pairs and multiplier ideal sheaves to pairs on arbitrary normal varieties, without any assumption on the variety being ℚ-Gorenstein or the pair being log ℚ-Gorenstein. The main features of the theory extend to this setting in a natural way.

We prove the following theorem characterizing Du Bois singularities. Suppose that $Y$ is smooth and that $X$ is a reduced closed subscheme. Let $\pi : \tilde{Y} \rightarrow Y$ be a log resolution of $X$ in $Y$ that is an isomorphism outside of $X$. If $E$ is the reduced pre-image of $X$ in $\tilde{Y}$, then $X$ has Du Bois singularities if and only if the natural map $\mathcal{O}_X \rightarrow R \pi_* \mathcal{O}_E$ is a quasi-isomorphism. We also deduce Kollár's conjecture that log canonical singularities are Du Bois in the special case of a local complete intersection and prove other results related to adjunction.

We give a geometric description of the loci in the arc space defined by order of contact with a given subscheme, using the resolution of singularities. This induces an identification of the valuations defined by cylinders in the arc space with divisorial valuations. In particular, we recover the description of invariants coming from the resolution of singularities in terms of arcs and jets.