Projective surfaces of degree \(r+1\) in projective \(r\)-space and almost non-singular projections (Q1934979)

The authors consider surfaces \(X \subset \mathbb{P}^r\), over an algebraically closed field, with \(\deg(X)=r+1\), \(r \geq 5\). Defining \(\Delta'\)-genus of \(X := \deg(X) - \mathrm{codim}(X) - 1\), at first they show that any surface \(X\) belongs to one of the following two classes: {(A)} Surfaces with ``good arithmetic properties'', i.e., projective surfaces whose affine cone satisfies the second Serre property \(S_2\). {(B)} Surfaces which are almost non-singular -- i.e., outer linear projections with finitely many mapping singularities -- of a surface of strictly lower \(\Delta'\)-genus. Later, in the spirit of what they did in the case of varieties of almost minimal degree and in the case of curves, they do not focus on the ``generic class'' (A) any more and restrict themselves to study those surfaces of \(\Delta'\)-genus 2, which belong to the class (B). They start from the ``classification by cohomological invariants'' of surfaces of \(\Delta'\)-genus 2, which is given in [\textit{M. Brodmann}, Commutative algebra, algebraic geometry, and computational methods. Proceedings of the conference on algebraic geometry, commutative algebra, and computation, Hanoi, Vietnam, 1996. Singapore: Springer. 173--200 (1999; Zbl 0960.14025)] and which leaves them with twelve different cases 1--12, which might occur. The aim of the paper is to establish this subdivision and to discuss in details the cases 3--11. The authors also characterize these cases in terms of simple almost non-singular projections of certain surfaces of almost minimal degree and in terms of double projections of smooth rational normal surface scrolls.