Involutions on a surface of general type with \(p_{g} = q = 0\), \(K^{2} = 7\) (Q2446411)

Surfaces of general type with \(p_g=0\) continue to be the object of intensive study. The present paper studies minimal surfaces of general type \(S\) over the complex numbers satisfying \(p_g=0\), \(K^2=7\) and possessing an involution \(\sigma\). For such an involution the number of isolated fixed points is an odd number between 5 and 11. In [\textit{M. Mendes Lopes} and \textit{R. Pardini}, Bull. Lond. Math. Soc. 33, No. 3, 265--274 (2001; Zbl 1075.14514)] the case of 11 fixed points had been characterized. In the present paper a careful study of all the other cases is done. After establishing a list of the possible quotient surfaces \(S/\sigma\) and of the possible branch loci for the double cover \(S\to S/\sigma\) induced by \(\sigma\), special attention is given to the case when \(S/\sigma\) is birational to an Enriques surface. It is shown that if \(S/\sigma\) is birational to an Enriques surface then the number of isolated fixed points of \(\sigma\) is 9, and that the minimal desingularization \(W\) of \(S/\sigma\) is a non-minimal surface with \(K_W^2=-2\). In addition (and this is the bulk of the paper) a precise characterization of the branch locus is given to the effect that its divisorial part is either a genus 3 curve or the (disjoint) union of 2 genus 1 curves. At the time this paper was written the only example known of surfaces of general type \(S\) over the complex numbers satisfying \(p_g=0\), \(K^2=7\) was due to \textit{M. Inoue} [Tokyo J. Math. 17, No. 2, 295--319 (1994; Zbl 0836.14020)]. This example can be obtained as a bidouble cover of a certain rational surface (see Mendes Lopes and Pardini [Zbl 1075.14514]). In the last section of this paper the authors analyze the branch divisors of the three quotient surfaces.