On rational cuspidal plane curves and the local cohomology of Jacobian rings

Abstract

This note gives the complete projective classification of rational, cuspidal plane curves of degree at least 6, and having only weighted homogeneous singularities. It also sheds new light on some previous characterizations of free and nearly free curves in terms of Tjurina numbers. Finally, we suggest a stronger form of Terao’s conjecture on the freeness of a line arrangement being determined by its combinatorics.