No label defined (Q4331084)

Affine surfaces arising as complements of plane curves \(C\) have been studied intensively during the last years. A first rough classification is given by the logarithmic Kodaira dimension \(\overline{\kappa}(\mathbb{P}^2\setminus C)\). There are many results for the case \(\overline{\kappa}(\mathbb{P}^2\setminus C)=-\infty\) in connection with \(\mathbb{A}^1\)-rulings. On the other hand, an irreducible plane curve \(C\) of degree \(\deg C\geq 4\) has \(\overline{\kappa}(\mathbb{P}^2\setminus C)=2\) except for the case of rational curves with just one singular or point or precisely two cusps [\textit{I. Wakabayashi}, Proc. Japan Acad., Ser. A 54, 157--162 (1978; Zbl 0404.14009)]. In the paper under review, the author treats the latter case with \(\overline{\kappa}(\mathbb{P}^2\setminus C)=1\). The aim is to classify these complements in terms of \(\mathbb{C}^*\)-fibrations. Since complements of curves with only cuspidal singularities are known to be \(\mathbb{Q}\)-homology planes (i.e. \(H_i(\mathbb{P}^2\setminus C,\mathbb{Q})=0\) for \(i>0\) [cf. \textit{M. Miyanishi}, Open algebraic surfaces, CRM Monograph Series. 12. Providence, RI: American Mathematical Society (2001; Zbl 0964.14030)]), this problem is equivalent to describe complement \(\mathbb{Q}\)-homology planes of logarithmic Kodaira dimension one. The main result is the following Theorem. Let \(C\) be a plane curve with two cusps, \(X=\mathbb{P}^2\setminus C\), and \(\overline{\kappa}(X)=1\). Then there exists an irreducible linear pencil \(\Lambda\) on \(\mathbb{P}^2\) , inducing a \(\mathbb{C}^*\)-fibration \(\varphi=\Phi_{\Lambda|X}: X \to \mathbb{A}\) such that \(C\) is an irreducible reduced member of \(\Lambda\), \(\Lambda\) has two base points (at the singular points of \(C\)), and \(\Lambda\) has a unique reducible member \(\overline F_1\) with two irreducible components \(\overline F_{11}\), \(\overline F_{22}\) and a unique irreducible multiple member \(\overline F_2\). Moreover, \(\overline F_1\) corresponds to a reducible fiber \(F_1=\overline F_1\cap X\) of \(\varphi\) with two irreducible components which are either disjoint (and isomorphic to \(\mathbb{A}^1\) and \(\mathbb{C}^*\), respectively) or meet transversally at one point (and are both isomorphic to \(\mathbb{A}^1\)). In most cases, explicit equations for \(C\) are determined. The proof uses special birational transformations.