Birational classification of curves on irrational ruled surfaces. (Q696217)

The author studies pairs \((S,D)\) of a smooth complex ruled surface \(S\) with positive irregularity \(q\) and an irreducible curve \(D\) on \(S\) from the viewpoint of birational geometry. Two pairs \((S,D)\) and \((S',D')\) are said to be birationally equivalent if there exists a birational map \(\varphi: S\to S'\) such that the proper image \(\varphi [D]\) of \(D\) coincides with \(D_1\). Since the construction of minimal varieties is relatively easy in the surface case, there is some hope for a similar program for pairs at least in dimension two. A pair \((S,D)\) is called nonsingular if also \(D\) is nonsingular, it is called relatively minimal if moreover every exceptional curve \(E\) of the first kind on \(S\) satisfies \(E.D\geq 2\) \((E\neq D)\), and it is called minimal if every birational map map any other nonsingular pair must be a morphism. It is natural to ask for a classification of all (relatively) minimal pairs. A first (rough) birational invariant of pairs is the logarithmic Kodaira dimension, i.e. the Kodaira dimension of \(K+D\). Refining this by further invariants of \(S\) and \(D\), the author gives a list of possibilities for relative minimal pairs in the case of irrational ruled surfaces with irregularity \(q=1\) (seven cases) and \(q\geq 2\) (three cases).