On log canonical rational singularities (Q288540)

In the paper under review, the author proves several results concerning the minimal model program for varieties with bad singularities, i.e. log canonical singularities, following the analysis in [\textit{O. Fujino}, Publ. Res. Inst. Math. Sci. 47, No. 3, 727--789 (2011; Zbl 1234.14013)]. In particular, in the main theorems the authour proves that the class of rational log canonical singularities is stable under the main operations of the minimal models program, i.e. divisorial and Fano contractions in Theorem 1.1 and flips in Theorem 1.2. We should note that the singularities of \(X\) are not automatically rational when \((X, \Delta)\) is a log canonical pair. Moreover, even if we start from a log canonical pair, its log canonical model might not have rational singularities, see Example 5.1. In Theorem 4.1, the author gives a supplementary result in the case of log canonical surfaces. In particular he shows that given a log canonical surface \((X, \Delta)\) and \(f : X \to Y\) a projective birational morphism such that \(Y\) is normal and \(-(K_X+\Delta)\) is \(f\)-ample, then the exceptional locus of \(f\) passes through no nonrational singular points of \(X\). In particular, the number of nonrational log canonical singularities never decreases under a minimal model program, see Corollary 4.2.