Kummer surfaces and \(K3\) surfaces with \((\mathbb{Z}/2\mathbb{Z})^4\) symplectic action (Q329914)

The paper under review studies the following two families of \(K3\) surfaces: (1) \(K3\) surfaces \(X\) which admit the group \((\mathbb{Z}/2\mathbb{Z})^4\) as a group of automorphisms preserving the period (called \textit{symplectic} automorphisms); (2) \(K3\) surfaces \(Y\) which are desingularizations of the quotients of the \(K3\) surfaces \(X\) by the group \((\mathbb{Z}/2\mathbb{Z})^4\) acting as symplectic automorphisms. Note that every Kummer surface (the minimal resolution of the quotient of an abelian surface by an involution) satisfies these two properties (see for example [the first author, Geom. Dedicata 145, 219--232 (2010; Zbl 1195.14054)]). In other words, Kummer surfaces form a subfamily for both of the families of \(K3\) surfaces. The aim of the paper is to show that several properties of Kummer surfaces hold more generally for the members \(X\) or \(Y\) of at least one of the two families. Specifically, the authors show that every member \(X\) with Picard number \(16\) (the minimal possible case) of the first family admits a fixed point free involution. This generalizes Keum's results on Kummer surfaces (cf. [\textit{J. Keum}, Nagoya Math. J. 118, 99--110 (1990; Zbl 0699.14047)]). Recall that every \(K3\) surface with \(16\) nodes corresponds to a Kummer surface. This property is extended to give a characterization of the members \(Y\) of the second family: a \(K3\) surface admitting \(15\) nodes is the quotient \(X/(\mathbb{Z}/2\mathbb{Z})^4\) of a \(K3\) surface \(X\) by \((\mathbb{Z}/2\mathbb{Z})^4\) which acts as symplectic automorphisms.