Classification of the fundamental groups of join-type curves of degree seven (Q2351878)

The paper under review is a sequel of the papers [\textit{M. Oka}, J. Math. Soc. Japan 30, 579--597 (1978; Zbl 0387.14004)] and [\textit{C. Eyral} and \textit{M. Oka}, Proc. Lond. Math. Soc. (3) 107, No. 1, 76--120 (2013; Zbl 1276.14045)], where the authors initiated a classification of the fundamental groups occurring in the family of the so-called join-type curves. A complex projective plane curve \(C\) is a join-type curve if it is defined by an equation of the form \[ a\cdot\prod_{j=1}^l (Y-\beta_jZ)^{\nu_j} = b\cdot\prod_{i=1}^m (X-\alpha_iZ)^{\lambda_i} \] where \(a,b\) are non zero complex numbers and \(\alpha_i\), \(\beta_j\) are mutually distinct complex numbers. \(C\) is said to be an \(\mathbb{R}\)-join-type curve if the coefficient \(a,b\), \(\alpha_i\), \(\beta_j\) are real numbers. In this paper, the authors compute the fundamental groups \({\pi}_1(\mathbb{P}^2\smallsetminus {C})\) of all \(\mathbb{R}\)-join-type curves of degree \(\sum_{j=1}^l \nu_j=\sum_{i=1}^m \lambda_i=7\) (the smallest degree for which still very little is known). A detailed calculation of the fundamental groups of the pseudo-maximal curves is given; in fact, to achieve the result, it suffices to find the groups of pseudo-maximal \(\mathbb{R}\)-join-type septics, i.e. those \(\mathbb{R}\)-join-type septics which do not degenerate (within the class of all join-type septics) to any other \(\mathbb{R}\)-join-type septic whose exponents are not \((7;7)\). The computations make use of the Zariski-van Kampen pencil method.