Gorenstein log del Pezzo surfaces of rank one (Q1115499)

Let S be a projective normal surface defined over the field \({\mathbb{C}}\) of complex numbers. S is said to be a log del Pezzo surface if S has only quotient singularities and the anticanonical bundle \(-K_ S\) is ample. The rank of S is the Picard rank \(\rho (S)=\dim_{{\mathbb{Q}}}Pic(S)\otimes {\mathbb{Q}}\). Moreover S is Gorenstein, i.e. \(K_ S\) is a Cartier divisor, if and only if S has only rational double points provided S is a log del Pezzo surface. The main result of the paper is the following theorem: Let S be a Gorenstein log del Pezzo surface. Suppose that S is either minimal or singular. Then S is a Gorenstein, algebraic compactification of the affine plane if and only if the smooth locus \(S^ 0\) is simply connected. In the case when S is a Gorenstein log del Pezzo surface of rank 1, the authors compute explicitly the fundamental group \(\pi_ 1(S^ 0)\), \(S^ 0=S-Sing(S)\), as well as the group \(H^ 2(S^ 0,{\mathbb{Z}})/H^ 2(S,{\mathbb{Z}})\). The computation of \(\pi_ 1(S^ 0)\) leads to a number of interesting consequences.