A geometric criterion for the finite generation of the Cox rings of projective surfaces (Q2633980)

In the present note the authors study geometric criteria for the finite generation of the Cox rings of rational projective surfaces. Let us recall the following notions which are now specify to the case of surfaces. Let \(X\) be a smooth projective surface over an algebraically closed field \(k\). Then the Cox ring of \(X\) is defined as the \(k\)-algebra \[ \text{Cox}(X) = \bigoplus_{(n_{1},\dots, n_{r}) \in \mathbb{Z}^{r}} H^{0}(X, \mathcal{O}(L_{1}^{n_{1}}) \otimes \cdots \otimes \mathcal{O}(L_{r}^{n_{r}})), \] where \(L_{1},\dots,L_{r}\) is a basis of the \(\mathbb{Z}\)-module \(\mathrm{Pic}(X)\) of classes of invertible sheaves on \(X\) modulo isomorphisms under the tensor product. Moreover, we assume that the linear and numerical equivalences on the group of Cartier divisors on \(X\) are the same (this is for instance the case of smooth rational projective surfaces). Denote by \(K_{X}\) the canonical divisor of \(X\) and by \(NS(X)\) the Neron-Severi group. The set of all effective elements in \(NS(X)\) is denoted by \(M(X)\). Since \(M(X)\) has an algebraic structure of a monoid, thus \(M(X)\) is called the effective monoid of \(X\). The main result of the paper is the following criterion. { Theorem 1.} Let \(X\) be a smooth projective rational surface defined over an algebraically closed field \(k\) of arbitrary characteristic such that the invertible sheaf associated to \(-K_{X}\) has a non-zero global section. Then the following conditions are equivalent: {\parindent=6mm \begin{itemize} \item[a)] \(\text{Cox}(X)\) is finitely generated, \item [b)] \(M(X)\) is finitely generated, \item [c)] \(X\) has only a finite number of \((-1)\)-curves and only a finite number of \((-2)\)-curves. \end{itemize}} The second result of the paper provides another criterion. {Theorem 2.} Let \(X\) be a smooth projective rational surface defined over an algebraically closed filed \(k\) of arbitrary characteristic such that the invertible sheaf associated to the divisor \(-rK_{X}\) has at least two linearly independent sections for a certain positive integer \(r\). The following conditions are equivalent: {\parindent=6mm \begin{itemize} \item[a)] \(\text{Cox}(X)\) is finitely generated, \item [b)] the set of smooth projective rational curves of self-intersection \(-1\) on \(X\) is finite. \end{itemize}}