On the group of automorphisms of a quasi-affine variety (Q2354341)

The main result of the paper is that if \(V\) is an affine (or, more generally, quasi-affine) variety over an algebraically closed field of characteristic zero which is not uniruled (that is, \(V\) is not covered by rational curves), then the automorphism group Aut\((V)\) is finite. It is also shown that any finite group can arise as the automorphism group of an affine variety. The strategy of proof is as follows. Consider \(X\) a smooth projective completion of such an non-uniruled affine variety \(V\), and pick \(H\) a big hypersurface in \(X \setminus V\). Then, by recent results from the minimal model program, there exists a birational contraction from \(X\) to a quasi-minimal model \(Y\). Such a model \(Y\) has the property that any birational selfmap of \(Y\) is an isomorphism in codimension 1 (also called a pseudo-automorphism). The image of \(H\) in \(Y\) is still big, and the argument boils down to showing that the group of birational selfmaps of \(Y\) preserving a big hypersurface is finite.