On cubic surfaces with a rational line (Q412031)

For a smooth cubic surface \(S\) defined over \(\mathbb{Q}\) the 27 lines are acted on by a subgroup \(G\) of the Weil group \(W(E_6)\). It is an open problem whether or not each of the 350 possible conjugacy classes of subgroups is realizable in this way. There are 172 conjugacy classes which fix a line, and the present paper reports on a programme which has successfully found cubic surfaces \(S\) over \(\mathbb{Q}\) realizing each of these cases. The cases in which the subgroup stabilizes a double-six or a pair of Steiner trihedra have already been covered by the authors [Cent. Eur. J. Math. 8, No. 4, 646--661 (2010; Zbl 1203.14040)] and [Int. J. Number Theory, to appear]. For the remaining 76 subgroups the programme began with a naive search over surfaces of low height, which left only 6 cases to be handled. For these the procedure begins with the observation that a cubic surface \(S\) which contains a line may be transformed into a del Pezzo surface of degree 4 with a rational point. This allows one to use explicit calculations in fields defined by square roots.