Construction of triple coverings of a certain type of algebraic surfaces (Q1174404)

The author studies triple coverings of a smooth algebraic surface, which are non-Galois and satisfy certain genericity condition specified in the text. Such triple coverings can be constructed as the normalization in a cubic extension given by \(X^ 3+aX+b=0\), where \(a\) and \(b\) are rational functions on the base surface \(\Sigma\). It is proved that such normalization has only rational triple points and the numerical characters of its smooth model are computed. In particular, if \(\Sigma\) is taken to be rational ruled, then it gives a surface with a pencil of trigonal curves, which satisfies \(c^ 2_ 1=2p_ g-4\). That is, \(c^ 2_ 1\) is the smallest when \(p_ g\) is fixed. This falls into the class studied by the reviewer [ cf. Ann. Math., II. Ser. 104, 357-387 (1976; Zbl 0339.14024)].