Extensions of finite cyclic group actions on bordered surfaces (Q2340471)

The classical concept of a compact Riemann surface can be extended by allowing surfaces with non-empty boundary, and endowing them with a dianalytic structure. The resulting structure is called a bordered Klein surface, which can be either orientable or non-orientable. In the same way as it happens with Riemann surfaces, the order of the automorphism group of a bordered Klein surface \(S\) of algebraic genus \(g \geq 2\) is bounded above in terms of \(g\), more precisely \(o(\mathrm{Aut}(S)) \leq 12(g-1)\). Such a surface \(S\), with \(g \geq 2\), can be represented as a quotient \(H/\Lambda\), where \(H\) is the hyperbolic plane, and \(\Lambda\) is a non-Euclidean crystallographic (NEC) group. Then, a finite group \(G\) acts as a group of automorphisms of \(S\) if and only if \(G \approx \Gamma/\Lambda\) for an NEC group \(\Gamma\) which contains \(\Lambda\) as a normal subgroup. The paper under review is devoted to the problem of whether a group \(G\) acting on a surface \(S\) is its full automorphism group, or else a proper subgroup of it. The authors solve this question entirely in case \(G\) is a cyclic group. The tool for attacking the problem is the extendability of the NEC group \(\Gamma\). An NEC group has associated a signature which depends on the geometry of a fundamental region of the group. Complete lists of non-maximal signatures were obtained by \textit{E. Bujalance} [Ill. J. Math. 26, 519--530 (1982; Zbl 0483.20028)] and \textit{J. L. Estévez} and \textit{M. Izquierdo} [Bull. Lond. Math. Soc. 38, No. 1, 113--123 (2006; Zbl 1092.20040)]. If the signature of \(\Gamma\) does not appear in these lists, the group \(G\) is the full automorphism group of some surface \(S\). Otherwise, if the signature is non-maximal, Theorem 2.1 in this paper proves that the action of the cyclic group \(G\) always extends to the action of a larger group. This result opens the question of which is the largest cyclic group which is the full automorphism group of a surface. For a given \(g\), the maximum order of a cyclic group of automorphisms of surfaces of genus \(g\) is \(2g+2\) for \(g\) even and \(2g\) for \(g\) odd. However, these actions always extend. So, the authors obtain in Theorem 3.3 the upper bound for a cyclic full automorphism group, which is \(g+1\), \(g\) or \(g-1\), according to whether \(g\) is \(\equiv 1\) (mod 4), even, or \(\equiv 3\) (mod 4), respectively. They also show the respective signatures of \(\Gamma\), and the topological type of the surfaces attaining the bound. Finally, in Section 4 they introduce the concept of full real genus of a group. \textit{C. L. May} [Rocky Mt. J. Math. 23, No. 2, 707--724 (1993; Zbl 0795.30039)] defined the real genus of a finite group \(G\) as the minimum algebraic genus of a bordered Klein surface on which \(G\) acts as a group of automorphisms. For surfaces of genus \(g \geq 2\), the real genus of a finite cyclic group was obtained by \textit{E. Bujalance} et al. in [Automorphism groups of compact bordered Klein surfaces. A combinatorial approach. Lecture Notes in Mathematics, 1439. Berlin etc.: Springer-Verlag (1990; Zbl 0709.14021)]. These actions also happen to extend always, and this fact leads the authors to define the full real genus of a group \(G\) as the minimum algebraic genus of a bordered Klein surface on which \(G\) acts as the full automorphism group. They study this new parameter for cyclic groups, and they even distinguish between orientable and non-orientable surfaces. In Theorems 4.3 and 4.7 the full real genus of the cyclic group \(C_n\) is given in terms of the prime decomposition of \(n\). Also, the topological type of the surfaces achieving the bound is given in each case. The paper relies heavily on previous work by the authors, but it can be read easily because it is exceptionally well-written and self-contained.