Automorphisms of real del Pezzo surfaces and the real plane Cremona group (Q2152625)

The Cremona group \(\text{Cr}_n (\mathbf{k}) = \text{Bir}(\mathbb{P}^n_{\mathbf{k}})\) is the group of birational automorphisms of the \(n\)-dimensional projective space over a field \(\mathbf{k}\). For \(n=1\), \(\text{Cr}_1 (\mathbf{k}) = \text{PGL}_2(\mathbf{k})\), and its finite subgroups are known since XIX century. For \(n=2\) and \(\mathbf{k}\) algebraically closed, the finite subgroups of \(\text{Cr}_2 (\mathbf{k})\) were classified by I. Dolgachev and V. Iskovskikh in 2009. In the case of \(\text{Cr}_2 (\mathbb{R})\), the subgroups of odd order were classified up to conjugacy by the author of the present paper in [J. Algebra 461, 87--120 (2016; Zbl. 1349.14054)]. The article under review aims to extend the classification of the finite subgroups of \(\text{Cr}_2 (\mathbb{R})\), the real plane Cremona group. In order to get it, the author obtains all the minimal pairs \((X,G)\) where \(X\) is a real del Pezzo surface, and \(G\) is a finite group. Recall that a del Pezzo surface is a surface \(X\) that is the blow up of \(\mathbb{P}^2_{\mathbb{R}}\) in at most 8 points in general position. The relation between finite subgroups and minimal pairs comes from the fact that there is a natural bijection between the conjugacy classes of finite subgroups \(G\) of \(\text{Cr}_2 (\mathbf{k})\), and the birational isomorphism classes of smooth \(\mathbf{k}\)-rational \(G\)-surfaces \((X,G)\). For each such \(G\)-surface, there exists a birational \(G\)-equivariant \(\mathbf{k}\)-morphism \(X \rightarrow X_{\text{min}}\) where \(X_{\text{min}}\) is \(G\)-minimal. Let \(\text{Pic}(X)^G\) be the set of classes of divisors invariant by the action of \(G\). Then, \(X_{\text{min}}\) either admits a conic bundle structure with \(\text{Pic}(X)^G \approx \mathbb{Z}^2\), or is a del Pezzo surface \(\text{Pic}(X)^G \approx \mathbb{Z}\). The paper is devoted to describing the minimal pairs \((X,G)\) in the latter case, while in Subsection 1.3 some comments are made in relation with the former case. The study of the groups acting on real del Pezzo surfaces is made in Sections 3 to 9 of the article, each according to the degree of the surface, from degree 8 to degree 1, keeping in mind that the cases of degree 9 and 7 are trivial. For each degree the respective groups are obtained. Three final Appendixes are used to study some special cases.