Splice diagrams and splice-quotient surface singularities

Abstract

The current work will appear in a Celebratio Mathematica volume in honor of Walter Neumann. We summarize results and methods from our long-time collaboration with Neumann, especially the motivation for the introduction of splice diagrams to define singularities of splice type and splice-quotient singularities. The Casson Invariant Conjecture and Milnor Fiber Conjectures are discussed, as well as some open questions about hypersurface and complete intersection singularities with integral homology sphere link.