The classification of double planes of general type with \(K^{2}=8\) and \(p_{g}=0\). (Q1867301)

A pair \((S,\sigma)\) where \(S\) is a minimal complex algebraic surface of general type and \(\sigma\) is an automorphism of \(S\) of order \(2\) such that the quotient \(S/\sigma\) is a rational surface is called minimal double plane of general type. In the paper under review the author classifies minimal double planes of general type with \(K^2=8\) and \(p_g=0\) [see also \textit{I. Dolgachev, M. Mendes Lopes} and \textit{R. Pardini}, Compos. Math. 132, 349--363 (2002; Zbl 1059.14050)]. It is shown that \(S\) is a free quotient \((F\times C)/G\), where \(C\) is a curve, \(F\) is an hyperelliptic curve, \(G\) is a finite group that acts faithfully on \(F\) and \(C\) and \(\sigma\) is induced by the automorphism \(\tau \times \text{Id}\) of \(F\times C\), with \(\tau\) the hyperelliptic involution of \(F\). The author describes all the \(F, C\) and \(G\) that occur and gets \(5\) families of surfaces with \(K^2=8\) and \(p_g=0\), of which only one of such families was previously known. The classification obtained is then used to get an alternative description of these surfaces as double covers of the plane and thus it is recovered a construction proposed by Du Val. The author studies also some properties of the subset of the moduli space of surfaces of general type with \(K^2=8\) and \(p_g=0\) consisting of the surfaces admitting a rational involution.