On a characterization of analytic compactifications for \(\mathbb C^* \times \mathbb C^*\) (Q711426)

The paper extends and completes former results of the author about possible compactifications of two-dimensional connected Stein manifolds \(X\) up to bimeromorphic equivalence, see [Math. Z. 195, 259--267 (1987; Zbl 0662.32024)] and [Compos. Math. 71, No. 1, 1--12 (1989; Zbl 0682.32025)]. A compactification of \(X\) is understood as a (minimal) compact complex manifold \(M\) such \(X\subset M\) is open and dense in the analytic Zariski topology of \(M\). The main result answers the uniqueness question: If \(X\) is not biholomorphic to the toric surface \(T:=\mathbb C^*\times\mathbb C^*\) then \(X\) admits, up to bimeromorphic equivalence, at most one algebraic and at most one non-algebraic compactification. Let \(\alpha\in\mathbb C\), \(0<|\alpha|<1\), and \(A^{\nu}_\alpha\) an affine \(\mathbb C\)-bundle of degree \(\nu\leq 0\) over the elliptic curve \(\mathbb C^*/<\alpha>\) without global holomorphic sections; in particular \(A^0_\alpha\simeq T\). The \(A^\nu_\alpha\) are the only Stein surfaces which admit non-algebraic compactifications. Apart from the natural algebraic compactification as \(\mathbb P^1\)-bundle over an elliptic curve the non-algebraic compactification of \(A^\nu_\alpha\), \(\nu <0\), is a surface of class \(VII_0\) as introduced and studied by \textit{I. Enoki} in [Tohoku Math. J., II. Ser. 33, 453--492 (1981; Zbl 0476.14013)]. It is well known that \(T\) admits rational and non-rational algebraic compactifications and also infinitely many different compactifications by Hopf surfaces of algebraic dimension zero. The proof of the main theorem uses the Kodaira classification and properties of the analytic Kodaira dimension for compactifications of Stein surfaces. From the above uniqueness results one gets compactifiable Stein surfaces which do not admit any affine structure. The given example is a \(\mathbb P^1\)-bundle \(M\) over a compact curve of genus \(g>1\) with a curve \(\Gamma\subset M\) such that \(X:=M\backslash\Gamma\) is Stein and \(\Gamma^2=0\). Then \(X\) is not affine, \(X\not\simeq T\), and any other algebraic compactification of \(X\) is birationally equivalent to \(M\). The author also characterizes the algebraic structures of compactifiable surfaces in dependence of the topological structure of the boundary divisor.