Semistable divisorial contractions (Q1879661)

The article under review is devoted to the minimal model program and classifies divisorial contractions \(\pi:X\rightarrow X'\) of 3-folds which are semistable in the following sense: \(X\) and \(X'\) are flat and semistable terminal families of surfaces with sufficiently mild singularities over a smooth curve \(T\) and \(\pi\) is defined over \(T\), i.e. \(\pi\) contracts only curves which lie in a fiber of the family \(X\). Moreover the divisor \(-K_X\) is \(\pi\)-ample and the relative Picard number \(\rho(X'/X)\) equals one. An explicit classification is given for the situation that the exceptional divisor of \(\pi\) is contracted to a normal point of a fiber of the family \(X'\). The author mentions that the classification of all divisorial contractions with centre a point has been completed by the work of \textit{T. Hayakawa} [Publ. Res. Inst. Math. Sci. 35, No.~3, 515--570 (1999; Zbl 0969.14008) and Publ. Res. Inst. Math. Sci. 36, No.~3, 423--456 (2000; Zbl 1017.14006)] and \textit{M. Kawakita} [Compos. Math. 133, No.1, 95--116 (2002; Zbl 1059.14020) and J. Am. Math. Soc. 16, No.~2, 331--362 (2003; Zbl 1059.14021)], but his proof of the semistable case is less technical and more instructive.