On the decomposition subgroup of an irrational curve in the Cremona group of the plane (Q2469308): Difference between revisions

A Cremona transformation is a birational transformation of the projective complex plane. If \(C\) is a plane curve, then the decomposition group (respectively the inertia group) of \(C\) is the group of Cremona transformations which preserve (respectively which fix pointwisely) the curve. This article studies these groups in the case where \(C\) is irreducible and not rational. If \(C\) is smooth, and \(\varphi\) is an element of the decomposition group of \(C\) which is not an automorphism of the plane, then it is proved here that \(C\) has degree \(3\) and that each base-point of \(\varphi\) belongs, as a proper or infinitely near point, to the curve \(C\). Another result of the article is that if \(C\) is a smooth cubic curve, then its decomposition group is generated by its element of degree two (in fact by simple quadratic transformation based at three proper points of \(C\)). The precise classification of irreducible curves \(C\) of genus at least \(2\) having a non-trivial inertia group was given in [\textit{J. Blanc, I. Pan, T. Vust}, Bull. Braz. Math. Soc. (N.S.) 39, No. 1, 61--80 (2008; Zbl 1139.14014)]. The author uses this classification to describe precisely the decomposition group in these cases. Some interesting corollaries that follow from the three results stated above are provided.