Applications of perverse sheaves in commutative algebra

The goal of this paper is to explain how basic properties of perverse sheaves sometimes translate via Riemann-Hilbert correspondences (in both characteristic $0$ and characteristic $p$) to highly non-trivial properties of singularities, especially their local cohomology. Along the way, we develop a theory of perverse $\mathbf{F}_p$-sheaves on varieties in characteristic $p$, expanding on previous work by various authors, and including a strong version of the Artin vanishing theorem.