Surfaces with \(p_g = 2, K^{2} = 3\) and a pencil of curves of genus 2 (Q1032599)

Let \(S\) be a minimal surface of general type over the complex numbers. In the 80's a famous series of papers of Horikawa has studied and described the geometry and the deformation theory of \(S\) when \(K^2_S \leq 2p_g(S)-2\). The next case \(K^2_S=2p_g(S)-1\) has been studied by \textit{X. Liu} [Acta Math. Sin., New Ser. 12, No.3, 234--243 (1996; Zbl 0874.14028)] for big values of \(p_g\). The case ``\(K^2_S=2p_g(S)-1\), \(p_g\) small'' has been studied by many authors, but we are still far from a complete understanding of it. The authors study in detail the case \(p_g(S)=2\), \(K^2_S=2p_g(S)-1=3\), under the assumption that the surface admits a pencil of genus \(2\) curves. The main result is that these surfaces form an irreducible algebraic set of dimension \(22\) of the Gieseker moduli space of surfaces of general type. They prove much more than that, giving a detailed description of the geometry and of the deformations of all these surfaces. The authors distinguish these surfaces in two classes: of type A and of type B; the surfaces of type A are those whose canonical map factors through the pencil. Note that in this case the canonical map itself is a pencil, so it is natural to compare the two pencils. The authors run a ``Horikawa-type'' analysis of both cases obtaining a detailed description of all these surfaces; the surfaces of type A are given as double covers of the Hirzebruch surface \({\mathbb F}_2\) and the surfaces of type B as double covers of \({\mathbb P}^1 \times {\mathbb P}^1\). They prove, with the help of a result of \textit{C. Ciliberto} and \textit{R. Miranda} [Ciliberto, C. (ed.) et al., Projective varieties with unexpected properties. A volume in memory of Giuseppe Veronese. Proceedings of the international conference ``Varieties with unexpected properties'', Siena, Italy, June 8--13, 2004. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter. 177--197 (2005; Zbl 1109.14009)], that the surfaces of type A form an irreducible set of dimension 21, and that the surfaces of type B form an irreducible set of dimension 22. Finally, they show that the surfaces of type A are degeneration of the surfaces of type B by using the structure theorem for genus 2 fibrations by \textit{C. Catanese} and the reviewer [Ann. Sci. Éc. Norm. Supér. (4) 39, No. 6, 1011--1049 (2006; Zbl 1125.14023)], following \textit{I. Bauer} and the reviewer [Osaka J. Math. 46, No. 3, 799--820 (2009; Zbl 1181.14040)].