Underlying Stokes and de Rham structures for Arnold-type invariants

Abstract

We introduce a framework on dual complexes for studying Arnold-type invariants of immersed curves and immersed surfaces via local finite-difference structures associated with Alexander numberings. For generic immersed plane curves and generic immersed surfaces, we define locally normalized maps $d^k ϕ$ on dual skeleta and show that suitable evaluations recover the Arnold-type invariants $St_{(1)}$ and $St_{(2)}$. In particular, we establish normalized discrete Stokes-type compatibilities between adjacent dual skeleta and derive corresponding Shumakovitch-type identities for curves and surfaces. The normalization coefficients are determined by finite-difference factorial structures together with multiplicities of local configurations. We further interpret the iterated-integral-type structures appearing in Shumakovitch-type identities through finite-difference structures and highest-degree local Stokes compatibilities on dual complexes. We also reinterpret the slice formula for $St_{(2)}$ and $St_{(1)}$ as a compatibility relation between slicing and local operations on the dual complex. These results provide a unified framework in which global Arnold-type invariants arise as distribution-type evaluations of local data on dual complexes. The framework further clarifies the distinction between untwisted local closures and globally twisted structures such as the original Arnold invariant $St$, and suggests the existence of higher-degree local operations associated with the same dual-complex structure.