Birational automorphisms of algebraic threefolds with a pencil of Del Pezzo surfaces (Q4229482)

In this paper is proved Iskovskikh's conjecture on the birational rigidity of pencils of Del Pezzo surfaces of degree \(\leq 3\) that are sufficiently twisted over the base. The smooth projective 3-fold \(V\) over \({\mathbb C}\) is a pencil of Del Pezzo surfaces if \(V\) admits a morphism \({\pi}: V \rightarrow {\mathbb P}^1\) such that the fibers of \({\pi}\) are irreducible Del Pezzo surfaces. If \(F\) is the class of the fiber then the integer \(d = K_V^2.F\) is the same as the degree of the generic fibre of \(\pi\). If \(f\) is the class of the line on the fiber \(F\) then, upto a twist over the base \({\mathbb{P}}^1\), one may assume that \(V\) satisfies the \(K^2\)-condition, i.e. \(MK_V^2 - f\) is not effective for any \(M \in {\mathbb Z}\) (see \S 1). Assume that \(V'\) is another projective 3-fold, non-singular in codimension 1, and fibered into rational surfaces \({\pi}':V' \rightarrow {\mathbb P}^1\); and assume moreover that there exists a birational map \({\chi}: V \rightarrow V'\). The central result of the paper, theorem 2.1, states that if \(d \leq 3\) then \({\chi}\) must be an isomorphism over the base, i.e. there exists an automorphism \({\alpha}\) of \({\mathbb P}^1\) such that \({\pi}'\circ{\chi} = {\alpha}\circ{\pi}\). This confirms the Iskovskikh's conjecture. In particular such \(V\) is not rational and has no conic bundle structures. The last completes the study of the problem of rationality for pencils of Del Pezzo surfaces in the cases \(d \leq 3\) [for \(d \geq 5\), see \textit{Yu. I. Manin}, Publ. Math., Inst. Hautes Étud. Sci. 30, 55-113 (1966; Zbl 0171.41701); and for \(d=4\), see \textit{V. A. Alekseev}, Math. Notes 41, No. 5, 408-411 (1987); translation from Mat. Zametki 41, No. 5, 724-730 (1987; Zbl 0623.14019)]. The proof of theorem 2.1 is based on the method of maximal singularities, which goes back to Noether and Fano and was later restated at a rigorous modern level -- in and after the fundamental work by \textit{V. A. Iskovskikh} and \textit{Yu. I. Manin} [Math. USSR, Sbornik 15(1971), 141-166 (1972); translation from Mat. Sb., Nov. Ser. 86(128), 140-166 (1971; Zbl 0222.14009)] on the birational rigidity of the quartic threefold, and in the papers of V. Iskovskikh and his students (especially of the author of the present paper) on the birational isomorphisms of algebraic varieties [see \textit{V. A. Iskovskikh} and \textit{A. V. Pukhlikov}, J. Math. Sci., New York 82, No. 4, 3528-3613 (1996; Zbl 0917.14007)]. The very technical proof of 2.1 occupies \S 4-7 of the paper. In \S 8 and \S 9 are proved analogues of theorem 2.1 for pencils of Fano 3-folds of degree 2 and 4.