The classification of purely non-symplectic automorphisms of high order on \(K3\) surfaces (Q1999790)

The actions of finite symplectic groups on \(K3\) surfaces are fully classified, while a complete picture for the non-symplectic case is missing. The first main result (Theorem 1.1) of the reviewed paper attacks this lack and provides a classification (up to isomorphism) of the pairs \((X,G)\), where \(X\) is a \(K3\) surface and \(\mathbb{Z}/n\mathbb{Z}\simeq G\subseteq \mathrm{Aut}(X)\) is a purely non-symplectic subgroup with value \(\varphi(n)\geq 12\) under Euler's totient function \(\varphi\). (All cases are listed in Table 3 on page 248.) It is in general hard to see which pairs \((X,G)\) are isomorphic or not. The second main result (Theorem 1.2) gives a useful criterion for two \(K3\) surfaces \(X_i\) \((i=1,2)\) with \(\mathrm{ rk \, T}(X_i)=\varphi(n)\) that admit non-symplectic automorphisms \(f_i\) with \(f_i^*(\omega_i)=\zeta_n\omega_i\), where \(\omega_i\) are the global holomorphic \(2\)-forms and \(\zeta_n\) is an \(n\)-th root of unity. The isomorphy \(X_1\simeq X_2\) then follows if \(f_1\) is of finite order and if the two kernels of the maps \(\mathbb{Z}[\zeta_n]\rightarrow O(\mathrm{ NS}(X_i)^{\vee}/\mathrm{ NS}(X_i)),\; \zeta_n \mapsto f_i^*\) coincide. Besides the obvious use of this statement, the author considers the case that \(f_2\) is of infinite order which leads to an answer for a question of dynamics on Enriques surfaces. \textit{K. Oguiso} and \textit{X. Yu} [``Minimum positive entropy of complex enriques surface automorphisms'', Preprint, \url{arXiv:1807.09452}] prove that the minimal positive entropy of an Enriques surface automorphism is the logarithm of the largest real root of \(x^6-x^4-2x^3-x^2+1\). They are interested in equations of the Enriques surface or its covering \(K3\) surface. The paper under review states in Corollary 1.3 that the minimal model of a fourfold cover of \(\mathbb{P}^2\) branched over \(0=(x_0^2-x_1^2)(x_0^2+x_1^2+x_2^2)\) is the universal cover of an Enriques surface admitting an automorphism of minimal entropy among the class of Enriques surfaces. In order to prove the main results, the author starts with the classical techniques in the area of \(K3\) surfaces and then provides additional results on embeddings of lattices, extending isometries of lattices and lattices in number fields. He uses methods of gluing and knowledge from number theory. The latter is needed for statements about \(p(x)\)-lattices \((L,f)\), where \(L\) is a lattice and \(p(x)\) is the characteristic polynomial of the isometry \(f\in O(L)\).