Characterization of Kollár surfaces (Q1663070)

The paper under review concerns Kollár surfaces defined by some Delsarte type equation \[ x_1^{a_1}x_2+x_2^{a_2}x_3+x_3^{a_3}x_4+x_4^{a_4}x_1=0 \] in some weighted projective space. Originally these were introduced by \textit{J. Kollr} in [Pure Appl. Math. Q. 4, No. 2, 203--236 (2008; Zbl 1145.14031)] in the quest for examples of \(\mathbb Q\)-homology projective planes (with ample dualizing sheaf). Later such surfaces were constructed systematically by \textit{D. Hwang} and \textit{J. Keum} in [Proc. Am. Math. Soc. 140, No. 6, 1865--1879 (2012; Zbl 1243.14027)] (following the classification of the possible singularities in [\textit{D. Hwang} and \textit{J. Keum}, J. Algebr. Geom. 20, No. 3, 495--523 (2011; Zbl 1231.14032)]). Presently, it is proved that all Kóllar surfaces which are \(\mathbb Q\)-homology projective planes fit into the construction of Hwang-Keum. The authors also compute invariants of a minimal desingularization of a Kollár surface, notably the geometric genus \(p_g\), using generalized Dedekind sums and recent bounds on their values provided by [\textit{K. Girstmair}, Int. J. Number Theory 13, No. 6, 1579--1583 (2017; Zbl 1426.11040)]. Their findings include that a Kollár surface is -- rational if and only if \(p_g=0\) (which can be characterized in terms of the exponents \(a_i\)), and -- birational to a \(K3\) surface if and only if \(p_g=1\) (which leads exactly to 8 explicit cases). The general type cases also described (generically for large weight). As a key step, the authors exhibit an explicit birational map between Kollár surfaces and suitable cyclic covers of \(\mathbb P^2\) branched along 4 general lines.