On the projective normality of smooth surfaces of degree nine (Q1282284)

The problem of classifying smooth n-dimensional varieties \((X,{\mathcal L})\) polarized by a very ample line bundle such that the adjoint linear system gives an embedding which is not projectively normal was posed by M. Andreatta. An example of a surface \((X,{\mathcal L})\) with such behavior in degree \(10=(K_S+{\mathcal L})^2\) was given by \textit{M. Andreatta} and \textit{E. Ballico} [Proc. Am. Math. Soc. 112, No. 4, 919-924 (1991; Zbl 0741.14034)]. In degree \(\leq 8\), \textit{A. Alzati}, \textit{M. Bertolini} and \textit{G. M. Besana} [Commun. Algebra 25, No. 12, 3761-3771 (1997; Zbl 0920.14012)] found no examples. In the paper under review the authors are concerned with the projective normality of smooth projective surfaces \(X\) embedded by the complete linear system associated with a very ample line bundle \(L\) of degree 9, \(L=K+{\mathcal L}\). They classify the pairs \((X,L)\) with \(L^2=9\) which fail to be projectively normal. Such classification was then used to see that there does not exist a very ample line bundle \({\mathcal L}\) such that \(L=K+{\mathcal L}\) unless \((X,L)\) is the blow-up of an elliptic \(\mathbb{P}^1\)-bundle, whose existence is uncertain.