Resumen: The higher order degrees are Alexander-type invariants of complements to an affine plane curve. In this paper, we characterize the vanishing of such invariants for a curve given as a transversal union of plane curves ′ and ′′ in terms of the finiteness and the vanishing properties of the invariants of ′ and ′′, and whether or not they are irreducible. As a consequence, we prove that the multivariable Alexander polynomial Δmulti is a power of ( − 1), and we characterize when Δmulti = 1 in terms of the defining equations of ′ and ′′. Our results impose obstructions on the class of groups that can be realized as fundamental groups of complements of a transversal union of curves. Idioma: Inglés DOI: 10.1002/mana.202100610 Año: 2023 Publicado en: Mathematische Nachrichten 296, 3 (2023), 1026-1040 ISSN: 0025-584X Factor impacto JCR: 0.8 (2023) Categ. JCR: MATHEMATICS rank: 179 / 490 = 0.365 (2023) - Q2 - T2 Factor impacto CITESCORE: 1.5 - Mathematics (all) (Q2)