Baby geography and Mordellicity of surfaces (Q295856)

The abstract reads ``We prove strong Mordell for surfaces of general type and negative index over characteristic zero function fields by way of a, probably, more interesting lemma''. The lemma in question states that, if \(X\) is a geometrically integral smooth surface over a function field \(K=k(C)\) of characteristic zero, and \(Y\subset{\mathbb P}(\Omega_{X/k})\) is closed and every generic point is finite over \(X=X\otimes K\), then there exist constants \(\kappa>0\) and \(\alpha\geq 0\) and a proper closed subset \(W\subset X\) such that any algebraic point \(f\in X \setminus W\) whose derivative \(f'\) over \(k\) lies in \(Y\) has bounded height: \(h_{\omega_{X/K}}(f)\leq \kappa \mathrm{discr}(f)+\alpha\). The reason the author thinks this more interesting than the ostensible main result is that the latter works only for surfaces with \(c_1^2\geq 2c_2\) and thus represents an end point, whereas the lemma is independent of geography of surfaces and so is potentially more widely applicable. Indeed the reduction to the lemma is an application of \textit{Y. Miyaoka}'s almost-ampleness theorem [Prog. Math. 39, 281--301 (1983; Zbl 0584.14022)]: any point whose derivative does not live in \(Y\) automatically satisfies the height bound or belongs to a rational or elliptic curve on~\(X\), as strong Mordell requires. The proof of the lemma proceeds by interpreting the condition \(f'\in Y\) as saying that \(f\) is invariant by a foliation \({\mathcal F}\) by curves, after which it is possible to appeal to the general theory of foliated varieties introduced by the author in order to establish the necessary positivity (in a suitable sense) of \(K_{\mathcal F}\). As it is over-complicating matters to use the general theory, since all we have here is the surface case, the present paper is written more directly in a self-contained, though very brisk, way. In particular one must pay attention to the singularities of \({\mathcal F}\) and the existence of a suitable resolution is made directly apparent. Reviewer's remark: The style of the paper is slightly idiosyncratic. Apart from the briskness alluded to above, which is no bad thing, the author uses the French word ``champ'' throughout instead of the established English term ``stack'', as well as various short forms and Latin abbreviations. These are easy enough for Europeans to decipher, but may be puzzling to those for whom English is already remote enough.